Solar Flare
by lizziestar
Summary: Seth was worried he was never going to imprint, until he met Erin Morgan. But Erin's keeping something from him. Will he find out what? And what will Carlisle discover that not even Erin knew about herself?
1. Why Me?

**Okay guys, I decided to put up my Twilight story first. No one was voting and I already had two chapters. This story won't be updated as frequently as 'In the Blink of an Eye' but I'll update it every chance I get. I've never done two stories at the same time, so we'll see how this goes. I hope you enjoy 'Solar Flare'. Team Seth all the way.**

I was sitting down on the shore at First Beach on the La Push Indian reservation. It was a perfect day: cloudy with the promise of rain. I liked the rain. It was soothing, calming, relaxing. I was watching the waves roll in and crash in front of me. I breathed in the salty air and daydreamed.

You're probably wondering who I am.

My name's Seth Clearwater. I'm seventeen years old and I'm a werewolf. Well, actually a shape shifter, but whatever. It's just a technicality. I can only shift into a wolf, so that's why I call myself a werewolf.

There are others like me. They all live in La Push too. It's actually a Quileute thing. There was my friend Jacob Black, Sam Uley, Leah Clearwater (my sister), Quil Ateara, Embry Call, Paul, Jared, and a whole lot of others.

We all used to be one pack, but then Jacob left and I followed him. Later my sister joined us and eventually so did Quil and Embry.

It's a long and complicated story and I don't want to bore you with the details. Let's just say Jacob and Sam, who was the Alpha, butted heads over something and Jake left. I followed him because I agreed with him and Leah came because I did and because she couldn't stand Sam. Quil and Embry joined us purely because they're Jacob's best friends.

Now where was I? Oh yeah, the beach.

Well, there I was, minding my own business, sitting down on the beach, not bothering anyone, when I heard someone shouting my name.

"Hey Seth! That you?!"

I knew that bellow anywhere. It was Jacob. I turned around and waved him over.

He dodged some kids playing Frisbee and was quickly at my side. He sat down, cross-legged, and looked at me, concerned.

"What's wrong this time?" he asked, heaving a big sigh.

I shook my head and muttered, "Nothing.". Nothing that had anything to do with him anyway.

Jacob was convinced that something was wrong with me. He said that I wasn't my usual happy, annoying self. I told him it was nothing, but of course the stupid guy was too thick to listen.

Truth was, I was upset about something. Not something that I wanted to discuss in front of anybody, but it had been getting harder and harder to hide, especially with some of the things that were going on.

"I know what this is about." Jake said, trying to be helpful and also trying to get me to talk. "It's because you haven't imprinted yet, right?"

Leave it to Jacob to get to the root of the problem. Why did he, of all people, have to be the one to find me? Anyone else would've left me alone when they saw that I didn't want to about it, but not Jake.

"No." I lied. I really didn't want to talk about my stupid imprinting issue. I'd rather just forget about it and move on, but I knew Jacob wouldn't let me.

"Yes it is. You know, I never thought I'd imprint either. It'll happen soon."

I didn't say anything for a while. I decided to tell him what my real problem was.

"It's not that I'm upset that I haven't imprinted. It's that, well, what if I'm like Leah? What if I'm a dead end?"

My sister had a feeling that she would never imprint. She figured it had something to do with being the only girl "shape shifter" in the history of ever. Mostly, it was a guy thing.

Jacob threw back his head and laughed. "That's what you're worried about?!"

I nodded and he laughed even harder. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. Why did I ever tell Jacob Black what was wrong with me? I would've been better off talking to a brick wall for all the good it would have done. Brick walls weren't insensitive jerks. Brick walls didn't laugh at people.

When Jacob calmed down he said, "Seth, you aren't a dead end. Leah probably isn't either. You just haven't found the right girl yet." He thumped his hand on my back, hard.

I shook my head. "I've seen every girl in La Push, Jake."

I was thoroughly convinced that I was never going to imprint. I'd been a werewolf for three years. It should have happened by now.

"Maybe you've seen every girl in La Push, but not Forks." he said, standing up and brushing the sand off of his pants. "C'mon." he told me. "I think a visit to Bella is in order."

He was referring to Bella Cullen, his best friend. Bella was a newborn vampire. (Yes, vampires exist too.) She was married to Edward Cullen, also a vampire, and they lived with Edward's family. They're vegetarian vampires, meaning that they don't drink human blood, only animal blood.

Most of the werewolves didn't like the Cullens. Jacob was good friends with Bella and got along okay with the rest of them, well except Rosalie. I liked all of them even though Rose was usually mean. Guess I was used to it because Leah was the same way.

Anyway, Bella and Edward had a daughter, Renesmee, but everyone, except Bella, called her Nessie. She was who Jacob imprinted on. She was half vampire and half-human because when Bella was pregnant with her, she was still a human.

Nessie was three years old, but she looked like a thirteen year old. Being half-human and half vampire, she aged quickly, but would stop when she reached the physical age of seventeen.

"I guess we could go, if Esme has some food for us." I said, standing up. I was hungry. My stomach gave an almighty growl.

Esme was sort of the adoptive mother of the Cullen family. She always fixed food for Jake and me when we came around.

You see, vampires don't eat regular food, but they have loads of free time since they don't sleep either, so Edward and Esme watched cooking shows. They were pretty good.

"She should. Alice has probably already told her we're coming." Jacob responded as we headed into the woods to phase. It was a lot faster than walking.

Alice was sort of like a fortune teller. She could see the future if someone had made a decision. If the decision changed then so did the future. It was pretty complicated.

Alice couldn't "see" Jacob and me since we were werewolves. If she was looking into the future and everything suddenly went black, she knew we were coming and informed everyone.

Once in the woods, we phased.

As a wolf, I have a sandy colored coat and Jacob is a russet brown color. We're pretty huge actually. All of us are. Leah's the smallest, mainly because she's a girl.

We ran through the woods all the way to the Cullen's house. We phased back and got dressed.

_Hey Edward. _I thought as I pulled on my pants.

_Hey Seth. Still upset about your imprinting problem?_

Edward could read minds, so he knew the most about my trouble. He was nice enough not to say anything to anyone though. Unlike someone else I knew.

_I have no idea what you're talking about. _I replied.

_Esme's making your favorites. She said they should be done in an hour if you and Jacob can wait that long. _He said, changing the subject.

_We'll try. No promises though._

After me and Jacob got dressed, we headed over to the house.

As far as houses go, the Cullen's is pretty big. Well, "big" might not be the best word for it. Humongous. That was a good word.

As I got closer, I saw Edward leaning against a column on the porch. I waved at him and he waved back, retreating into the house. Jacob rolled his eyes and I laughed at him.

Jacob and Edward had a "funny" relationship. Jacob hated Edward and Edward wasn't too fond of Jacob either. Nessie and Bella were the only reasons they remained polite with each other. Fortunately, they had been getting along better lately.

We came in and were immediately greeted by Bella. She was wearing a beautiful blue dress, and didn't look too happy about it (Alice probably forced her in it.), but she brightened when she saw us. Her topaz eyes were filled to the brim with delight.

"Hey Seth." Bella said, hugging me rather tightly. She still didn't know her own strength. "How's Charlie?"

"He's fine. Getting used to the whole 'step-dad' thing." I answered as she let go of me, grinning. "It's kinda awkward right now. I don't know who feels weirder, me or him."

Charlie Swan was Bella's father and my step-father. This is another complicated story that I'm not going to go into. He wasn't much of a talker.

Bella laughed and said, "I know how that goes. When I first came to Forks he could barley string two words together when I was around, but get him together with Billy and your dad and he was a whole different person. "

"Hey Bells." Jake said, giving her a hug. I noticed Edward lurking in the corner, giving Jacob a death glare.

"Hey Jake. How's Billy?"

"He's okay. Told me to say hello."

At that moment, Nessie came running down the stairs. Her curly, bronze hair was bouncing neatly on her shoulders. Apparently Alice had dressed her up too because she was in a black skirt, a pair of red ballet flats with white polka dots, and a white blouse. However, unlike her mother, she looked comfortable.

"Jacob! Seth! I thought I heard your voices!" she squealed delightedly as she came to a halt in front of us.

"Nessie!" he shouted, pulling her into a hug. "How are you?"

"Fine Jacob." she giggled. "It's been how long since you last saw me? An entire day?"

"Remember, the imprinter can't stand to be away from the imprintee. Not even for a day."

She shook her head and, standing on her tip-toes, kissed him on the cheek.

Edward cleared his throat, making Jake jump. He obviously hadn't noticed he had walked into the room.

Just then, Esme came into the room, smiling warmly. I had to say, Esme was my favorite out of all of the Cullens. She was just so great. You could come to her for anything.

"Seth, Jacob, hello. The food's just about finished." she said, giving me a hug.

"Smells great." Jacob said, breathing in the intoxicating aroma. I could tell she made steak, mashed potatoes, and chocolate cake. She knew us well.

"So, Seth, didn't you want to go for a walk?" Edward asked me, looking smug.

"Oh, right." I said, remembering what Jacob said I needed to do. _Thanks a lot Edward._

_Welcome. _He replied in my head. I really wish he couldn't do that.

"Pack stuff?" Bella asked, looking curious. She shot a glance at Edward who just shrugged as if to say 'Don't ask me'.

"Sort of." Jacob said, laughing. Well, I was glad he could laugh about it. I certainly couldn't.

I shook my head and said, "I'll be back in about an hour."

Esme nodded and said, "No one will touch the food until you get back.".

I then headed out the door, listening to Jacob continue to laugh his head off. One of these days, that guy was going to get it. If not from me, then from someone else, but he would get it all the same.

**Let's see what happens next. Jacob's just a meanie isn't he? Picking on poor Seth. Hope you guys are liking this. Tell all of your friends.**


	2. Not A Dead End After All

**Okay, here's Chapter two. Seth is taking that walk and he meets someone. I really hope you guys are finding this story very awesome, just like all of my other stories. Anyway, enjoy!**

The walk wasn't helping me at all. I had been walking all around Forks for about half an hour and I was no closer to finding my imprint than when I started. I walked past Bella's old house for about the millionth time. I figured that I should probably start heading back. Esme's food was probably getting cold and Jake got irritable when he was hungry. I knew I was a dead end. I just knew it.

I heaved a sigh, turned around, and began to walk back to the Cullen's house, utterly depressed. _How could I be so stupid? Why did I listen to Jacob? I knew this wouldn't help me feel better. If anything, it's just made me feel worse._

I must not have been paying any attention, because as soon as I began walking, I knocked someone over. I heard the person fall to the ground and looked to see who it was.

It was a girl. She looked about my age. I pulled her to her feet and got a good look at her. She had short, curly, light brown hair with natural streaks of a honey blonde. She was on the short side, maybe 5'3. And her eyes, she had the most beautiful eyes ever. They were green with flecks of gold and she had big, beautiful dark lashes. Her eyes were framed by a pair of plain, dark purple, glasses with rectangular frames.

I couldn't believe it, but I had just imprinted on her. I actually imprinted on her. I couldn't believe it. I, Seth Clearwater, had finally managed to imprint. It was totally unexpected and an accident, just like with everyone else. I knew it the moment I looked into her beautiful eyes. They seemed to suck in my soul. The whole world just stopped turning in that instance. I knew she was meant for me. She was the one I had been waiting on for my whole life. She was the one I had been dreaming of all along.

It felt amazing. I immediately wanted to do everything I could for her. I was filled with so many emotions it made my head spin. If you ever found your soul mate than you would know what I was talking about. It was just so… indescribable. It was like every good feeling in the world had been poured into me. I didn't even know her name and I already loved her so much. I felt whole. There wasn't an emptiness inside me anymore.

"Uh…hello?" she said, waving her hand in front of my face. She looked a little on the annoyed side.

I must have been staring at her too long. I shook my head and tried to regain composure, but it was almost impossible. All I could do was stare at her and hope that I wasn't drooling.

"Uh, aren't you gonna apologize? You kinda knocked me over if you didn't notice." she said, bending over, picking her blue plaid backpack up off of the ground and dusting it (and herself) off. It was then that I noticed her outfit. She was wearing faded out, ripped jeans, a white t-shirt with bright orange and green paint splatters on it, a bright yellow jacket, and purple converses.

"Oh, right. Sorry about that." I finally came to my senses. "Guess I just wasn't paying attention." I said, feeling like an idiot. "My name's Seth, by the way. Seth Clearwater." I extended my hand and she shook it, giving me a funny look.

"Erin Morgan." she said, dropping my hand. "You don't live around here do you?" she asked, studying me, looking me over. I suddenly wished I had picked out a better outfit than my old jeans with grass stains on the knees, an old grey sweatshirt with a hole in it, and my old, worn sneakers.

"No, I live on the La Push reservation." I told her, feeling a little nervous. That was totally unlike me. I never got nervous.

"I didn't think you did. I think I would remember a face like yours." she said, grinning. I guess she got over her annoyed feeling.

I stood, wondering what to do. I wanted to get to know her so bad. I wanted to know everything about her, even trivial things. I just wanted to tell her that I was a werewolf and that she was my imprint and everything else, but that would be rushing things. I knew this would take some time.

"Hey, listen." I said, getting her attention again as an idea popped into my head. "I know we just met and all, but I'm headed over to a friend's house for dinner. Do you want to come?"

She thought for a second and said, "Well, I suppose I do. I don't have anywhere to go or anything. Besides, I'm hungry and you seem nice." She swung her backpack on over her left shoulder.

"Okay." I said, grinning from ear to ear. This was going great so far. I must have been the single happiest person alive. I felt like doing back flips and cartwheels. I was having trouble containing myself. I was just so excited and so happy, like a kid on Halloween or like a puppy.

We began walking, but the silence was killing me. I had to say something to her. I just couldn't hold it in anymore. I was about to go nuts. I needed to know something about her.

"So, what's in the bag?" I asked, trying to start a conversation. I suppose I could've asked a dumber question. I mean, there had to be a stupider question out there somewhere.

She blushed and said, "Just some sketches I did." She shifted her gaze to the ground. So she was a little shy. I'd have to change that.

"Can I see?" I asked, trying to be helpful. Maybe if she knew I was interested, she'd get over her shyness. It was worth a shot anyways. Besides, I was curious. I wanted to see what she had drawn.

She blushed again and pulled a pad of paper out of her bag. "They aren't very good." she said, handing them over.

I flipped open the book and saw the most amazing sketch in my life. It was of a sunset on a beach. It looked so real, like I was actually on First Beach, watching it. I looked through the whole book, completely stunned and amazed. She was an amazing artist. A modest artist at that.

I handed the sketch book back, speechless. What could I say about something so amazing? There weren't words to describe how good she was, at least not that I knew of.

"I told you they weren't very good." she said, stuffing the pad back in her bag. She looked a little sad as she tucked her hair behind her ears.

"Are you kidding?" I asked, dumbfounded. "Those were incredible!" I think that was an understatement, but that was the only word that was even remotely close to how unbelievably awesome they were. I probably would have thought they were good even if they were terrible, but it didn't take an art critic to see that she was talented.

"I guess." she shrugged, but I noticed a smile forming at the corners of her mouth. I liked her smile. Heck, I liked just about everything about her. I couldn't help it. That's how it went with imprints.

We walked in silence again, but I couldn't stand it for long. You'd think I'd never been so happy in my life. Heck, I probably hadn't.

"How long have you lived in Forks?" I asked, hoping I didn't sound too pushy or prying.

"Uh, about a year. My parents died last year in a car crash, so I moved in with my uncle." she said, looking a little anxious. What did she have to be anxious about? My dad had died a few years ago, but I never looked like that when I told people about it, or at least I don't think I did.

I decided not to press the matter any further, but I did ask another question. Boy, I was just in a talkative mood. I couldn't believe how quick I went from depressed to excruciatingly happy.

"How old are you?" I bet you wondered when I would ask that question. Usually that's the second question you ask a person, right after 'What's your name?'. Oh well, at least I asked it. Better late than never, right?

"I just turned sixteen." she replied. "My birthday's April 18th." Okay, so she was a year younger than me. Well, technically I was still fourteen, so it didn't really matter to me.

"Cool." I said. "Well, I'm seventeen. Birthday's on the 7th of January."

She nodded and then we fell into yet another silence. I hoped it wouldn't be like this all of the time. I hoped she'd get over her obvious shyness once she saw that there was no reason for it. I was an easy going person. Easy to talk to and easy to get along with.

Just before I was about to explode with more questions, she spoke to me. It sort of startled me. I hadn't been expecting it at all. Totally caught me off guard.

"You know the reason why I came with you even thought you're a complete and total stranger?" she asked me. She tucked her hair behind her ears again. I supposed it was a nervous habit.

I shook my head slowly and she said, "Well, I don't really have any friends here. I guess I was so lonely I just jumped at the first chance I got to hang with someone." She looked up at me, smiling softly, grateful I guess.

Well, she wouldn't be lonely ever again. I'd make sure we did something together almost every day. I'd take her swimming on First Beach, convince Jake to take us cliff diving, maybe have a picnic and invite Nessie.

"Well, you'll have friends now. Trust me, I have plenty." Bit of an understatement. I had so many friends I didn't know what to do with them all. I knew they'd like her. How could they not? She was perfect, in my eyes anyway.

We continued to talk all the way to the Cullen's. I could tell she was getting over her initial shyness and was becoming more relaxed around me. It made me even happier, if that was even possible.

I couldn't wait for everyone to meet my imprint: Erin Morgan, the most amazing artist alive. I knew they all would love her, especially Alice and Bella. Of course, Rosalie would be skeptical since being my imprint would mean that I'd have to tell her everything, including that the Cullen's were vampires. Rose wouldn't like that at all. But, then again, I really didn't care. Everyone else would love her and make her apart of the family and that would be good enough for me.

Jacob would never leave me alone when he saw that he had been right in telling me to go and check out Forks, but suddenly I didn't care. I'd take all of his gloating with a smile, because that's all I could do. Just smile and be happy that I finally imprinted. I wasn't a dead end after all.

**Well, hope you guys liked that. The next you hear from me will be a chapter of 'In the Blink of an Eye'. I might have another chapter of this story ready next Wednesday too, but I really can't say. Read and review. Bye!**


	3. Introductions

**Hola amigos. How are you guys? Ready for another chapter? Great. Well, uh I guess, if you haven't already, check out my Maximum Ride stories 'With Wings Wide Open' and the sequel 'In the Blink of an Eye'. I'm very happy with all the reviews I've gotten so far on this story. I'm also glad a lot of you have put me on your favorite stories and story alert lists. This makes me very happy. Remember, a happy author makes for an excellent story. Well, I think I've said enough for one day. Okay then, on to Chapter 3! Happy reading!**

I learned a lot about Erin on our way to the Cullen's**. **She was from Astoria Oregon, she loved to read, especially Harry Potter books, she loved all kinds of music including country, her favorite band was The All American Rejects, and she didn't watch a lot of TV, but her favorite show was House.

When we reached the porch I turned to her and said, "Wait right here." I had to let the Cullen's prepare since a human was about to enter their house. Jasper was still getting used to the vegetarian lifestyle and had once tried to attack Bella when she was still human.

"Uh okay." she said uncertainly. She pushed her glasses up and leaned up against the house. "But hurry. I'm really hungry and it's cold out here." She pulled her jacket around her tightly, pretending to shiver violently.

I laughed. "It won't take long. I'll be back in five minutes." I promised.

I turned the door knob, walked inside, and closed it behind me. "Guys! I'm back!" I shouted, walking into the dining room.

Jacob was chowing down on dinner. "Sorry. Couldn't wait." he said without glancing up. "Hey, wait. Why're you back so early?" He looked up at me quickly, his face filled with concern.

"Ah man Seth. I'm sorry. Hey, just because you didn't imprint on a girl from Forks doesn't mean you're hopeless. Maybe later we'll go on a run through Washington and if that doesn't work-"

"Jacob shut up." Edward interjected as he walked into the room with everyone else following him. "He's imprinted on a girl named Erin Morgan. She's standing outside. Right Seth?"

I nodded grinning from ear to ear and Jacob fell out of his seat with a loud crash. "What?" he asked as he got up with some assistance from Nessie. "You let me go through that speech for nothing?"

"Yeah, pretty much." I laughed. Emmett reached out his fist and I bumped it.

Rosalie looked mad, no surprise, but Alice, Jasper, Nessie, Bella, and Esme were all grinning happily. I assumed Carlisle was at work because he wasn't there.

_He's on his way home. _Edward answered, reading my mind. _He should get to meet her unless he gets hung up with something._

"Well Seth, why don't you let her in?" Bella asked. "It looks like it's going to start pouring the rain soon. I wouldn't be surprised if we had a storm."

"Yes Seth, and the poor thing must be hungry." Esme said sweetly. "Besides, you look hungry yourself. I tried to hold Jacob off, but you know him."

"You sure it's okay to bring her in here?" I asked, beginning to think it was a bad idea. I wouldn't, couldn't let anything happen to her.

Alice, the little power house, rolled her eyes. "Yes Seth, we promise we won't eat her." she said huffily in her quiet, sing song voice. "We know how to behave around humans. Honestly, we do go to school with them and nothing bad happens. We do have self control you know." She smiled at me, letting me know she was just joking.

"Okay." I said slowly, still feeling uneasy.

I walked into the hall and opened the door. "Sorry." I said as she stepped into the house. "I had to make sure it was okay for you to stay."

She nodded and said, "It's okay Seth." She set down her backpack and followed me. "Man, it's cold in here. It's even colder than outside."

I had to distract her. She couldn't find out the Cullens were vampires. "Everyone's really excited to meet you." I told her, leading her to the dining room.

"So are these all of your friends?" she asked me.

"Not even close." I said, as we walked in the room.

She took a look at everyone, while everyone looked at her. She tugged on my arm and whispered, "I didn't realize it was a formal dinner." She looked down at her outfit, frowning.

I shook my head and whispered back, "Nah, that's just Alice. She makes them all dress up. Trust me, she'll make you into a human Barbie doll. You look fine."

I looked to Edward who was trying to keep from laughing. Everyone was totally silent and it was making me nervous until Nessie blurted, "Wow, she's really pretty Seth."

Jake elbowed her and Erin laughed. "Thank you. So Seth, are you going to introduce me or are we just gonna stand here staring at each other all day?"

I nodded. "Right. Um okay…" I pointed to Alice.

"Oh for crying out loud." she said, giving me an annoyed look. "I'm Alice Cullen. Nice to meet you Erin. I promise Seth isn't usually like this."

"So you're Alice. Seth told me you'd turn me into a human Barbie doll if I wasn't careful." Erin said, laughing.

"Oh, trust me, she will." Bella answered. "Hi, I'm Bella, Seth's step-sister. It really is nice to meet you."

"Hi Bella. I'm Erin. Love the dress." She smiled at Bella who returned the smile.

"That makes one of us." Bella joked. "Well, I love your outfit. Very cute and very comfortable looking. Unlike this." She tugged at her dress.

Erin laughed and Nessie jumped in. "Hi Erin. I'm Renesmee, but you can call me Nessie. Everyone else does, well except my mom." she said, pointing at Bella. I noticed Erin looking from Bella to Nessie suspiciously.

Luckily, Edward noticed it too and intervened. He smiled his signature crooked smile at her and said, "I'm Edward. Bella's husband. And, yes we're all related. Except Jacob." He nodded toward him. I wished Edward wouldn't answer the questions people asked in their heads out loud.

_Sorry. _He apologized. _I always seem to forget nowadays. I suppose I'm just so used to being with people who know that I can do that. I promise it won't happen again._

"Yeah well thanks for that lovely introduction Edward." Jacob said, pretending to sound offended. "I'm Jacob Black. What has Seth told you about me?"

"Uh, nothing really except that he had a friend named Jacob Black who was extremely annoying and a pig." she answered, smirking.

"Oh well as long as it wasn't anything bad." he said sarcastically.

Erin laughed and turned to Jasper. "So who're you?"

"Jasper. Nice to meet you." he answered politely.

"Jasper usually doesn't talk much." Alice explained. "He's the silent type." she added, grabbing his hand, probably silently assuring him that he wouldn't eat her. I hoped he wouldn't.

She nodded and then turned to Emmett. "The name's Emmett." he said, giving her a big glowing smile. "I'm what you'd call a jokester. Just ask Bella." he added, grinning mischievously.

Rosalie frowned at her but introduced herself politely anyway. "Rosalie. Nice to meet you."

"And this is Esme." I said, speaking up again. "She's the adopted mother of everyone."

Esme nodded. "Thank you Seth. I'm also the one who cooked the meal. You guys might want to start eating soon. I think Jacob's inhaled most of the food."

We sat down and began eating. It was awhile before Erin said, "Why aren't the rest of you eating?"

Bella saved the day by saying, "We ate before you got here. Sorry we were really hungry."

Erin looked at the plates full of food spread out on the table, but didn't say anything.

I didn't look up the whole meal. I just kept shoving food in my mouth. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Jacob sending me glances every once in a while and Erin looking over her shoulder at the Cullens. Can you say tension?

After dinner Erin stood up. "Well, it was nice meeting all of you, but I better be getting home. My uncle's probably worried." She checked the clock on the wall, looking apprehensive.

"I'll walk you out." I said, standing up quickly. I couldn't get out of that room fast enough. That had been the most awkward dinner I'd ever had, including the one right after Charlie and my mom got married.

"Nice meeting you." Esme called. "We hope you'll come again."

"See you later Erin!" Nessie yelled after us.

I turned to Erin when we reached the door. "Yeah, they're pretty weird. They mean well though." I told her.

"It's ok." she said, shrugging. "I really don't mind. It's just good to have people to talk to again. I had a lot of friends back in Oregon. I'm really glad you knocked me over." She grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder.

"Me too." I said, staring into her beautiful eyes. I wanted nothing more than to kiss her, but I couldn't do that. It'd be too much too soon. Besides, I had a feeling we were being watched.

"Uh Seth? You okay?" she asked, waving her hand in front of my face.

I blinked a few times and said, "Huh? Oh yeah. I'm fine. Were you saying something?"

"Uh yeah, I was trying to give you my phone number so we could hang out again sometime." She handed me a piece of paper and I took it.

"You wanna hang out again?" I asked, a little surprised. I shoved the number in my pocket.

"Uh yeah, I'd like that. I mean, if it's okay with you 'cause if it isn't-"

"No, no. It's cool. Uh, here." I said, grabbing a pen off an end table. She stuck out her arm and I wrote my number down.

"Okay, well I'll talk to you later." she said, walking out the door.

"Bye!" I shouted waving at her. I closed the door slowly and turned around to find Jacob standing right behind me.

"What?" I asked, walking into the house.

"When are you gonna ask me if you can tell her the secret?" he asked, grinning stupidly.

"I'm not telling her. I'm just gonna stop phasing. I'll start aging again. She never has to know." I couldn't drag her into this, not after the Volturi almost killed all of us over Nessie.

"You don't think she'll like you after you tell her do you?" Jacob said. "You know, sometimes you are really stupid. None of the other imprints seem to care."

I ignored him, shoving past him. I walked right back into the dining room. "See you guys later. I'm heading home." I told everyone. They all said various good byes and congratulations and I walked out of the house without a word.

I stepped off the porch into the pouring rain and ran home as fast as I could. Maybe Jake was right. Maybe the reason I didn't want to tell her was because I was afraid of what she'd think. But what was I going to do?

**Okay, that's the end of this chapter. Hope you guys like it. I would really love to see lots of long reviews. It'd make me very, very happy. The happier I am, the longer my next chapter will be. Anyway, I'm going to try to have a new chapter up next Wednesday. We'll just have to see. Alright, well that's it I guess. I'll catch you later then. Toodles!**


	4. Phone Calls

**Hey guys! Time for another update. I know you are all very excited to see what I have in store for you today. Well, we will get to that here soon. First, I just want to let you all know I would love some drawings of characters from any of my three fan fictions. Just send them to me and on my last day of summer vacation I'll post all the ones I get in my profile. Okay now, without further ado, here is Chapter 4.**

I made it home, soaked through with rain, just in time for dinner. I know I just ate and everything, but being a werewolf I eat a whole lot. I'm never really full, none of us are. So, I grabbed a chair next to Charlie and began stuffing food in my mouth like I'd never eaten before.

Leah talked about her day, which, in my opinion, was very boring. She also complained about how she wished Jacob would let her stop phasing. "It's not like anything life threatening is going to happen around here soon." she said. I just ignored her and kept eating. Maybe if I didn't say anything, no one would notice.

Wrong. "Seth, honey. Something wrong?" my mom asked. She had that concerned mother look on her face. I'm sure you know the one. The one that bores into your very soul. That one.

I shook my head, noticing everyone was staring at me. "No, nothing's wrong. I'm just kinda tired."

This was good enough for Leah and Charlie, but not for my mom. "Seth, don't lie to me. Something's wrong with you. You know you can come to me and Charlie and your sister about anything. We're a family." She gave Charlie a glare.

"Your mother's right Seth." Charlie said, trying his best to stay out of the conversation. Told you he wasn't much of a talker.

Miracle of all miracles, the phone rang and Leah went to get it, thinking it was one of her friends, so for at least thirty seconds I was off the hook. But only for thirty seconds.

"Seth, how can I help you if you don't tell me what's wrong?" my mom asked, making me feel like I was going to be in huge trouble if I didn't give her some kind of an answer.

I sighed and put my fork down. "Mom-" I began, but Leah interrupted by walking into the kitchen holding the phone in her hand.

"Hold on." she said, smirking. "Seth, it's for you. Some girl named… Erin Morgan."

"Erin?" I asked, leaping up from my seat like it was on fire and reaching for the phone.

That was all Leah needed to see. "Ooh. Looks like little Sethie got himself an imprint."

"Leah!" I shouted, feeling heat rise up in my cheeks as my mom and Charlie stared. "Give the phone to me! Now!"

"Hold on." she said, running around the table while I chased her. "I wanna hear more about this girl. Did she suffer some kind of head injury? I mean, she'd have to have one to want anything to do with a head case like you." she chuckled.

I lunged at Leah, furious with her. How could she do this with Mom and Charlie sitting right there and Erin on the phone? "Give. Me. The. Phone." I ordered, enraged by this point, tired of playing childish games with my big sister.

My mom banged her fist down on the table. "Leah! Stop teasing your brother! Give him the phone!" One rule in my house: Never, ever make Sue Clearwater mad unless you have a death wish.

"Seth, we will talk later." she said, more calmly, to me, grinning slightly as Leah handed me the phone.

I put the phone to my ear and headed straight for my room. "Hey Erin." I said, flopping down on my bed. "Sorry about my sister. We're thinking of trading her in for a nice, quiet goldfish." I joked.

She giggled and said, "It's okay." There was a long pause and then she said, "Um, so what're you doing?"

I sighed, "Nothing. My mom was just trying to force dinner down my throat even though I told her I already ate." I lied. I couldn't tell her I was eating again, it would sound weird. "What're you doing?"

"Painting my fingernails."

"Really?" I asked, having no idea why I was so curious. "What color?" I asked, stupidly. She was going to think I was some kind of weirdo.

She chuckled and said, "Uh black with white polka dots. Why are you so interested?"

"I have no clue." I told her honestly.

"Seth Clearwater, you are so weird." she told me, laughing.

I chuckled weakly and said, "Yeah, I get that a lot."

We sat on the phone in silence for a few minutes, when Erin said, "So, I know you're probably wondering why I'm calling. It's just that, I realized we talked a lot about me, but not you."

"There's not much to talk about." I said, half hoping she'd drop the subject and half hoping she wouldn't and I'd blurt out that I was a werewolf and that the Cullens were vampires.

"I'll be the judge of that." she said, and I could picture her smirking in my head. "Let's start off with family. What's yours like?"

I sighed, "Well, it used to be just me, my mom, my dad, and Leah, my older sister. A few years back my dad had a heart attack and died. Then my mom and Charlie Swan, who was one of my dad's friends, started getting close. And now, Bella's my step sister and Nessie's my step niece."

"Ok." she said. "Uh… favorite color?"

"Green." I said, automatically. Up until today it had been blue, but those eyes of hers.

She was quiet for a second and then said, "Um… alright. Let's see… Okay, do you like to play sports?"

"Yeah, a little. With my friends. Football, stuff like that."

"Hmm. Interesting." she said, making me feel nervous. "Do you like to read?"

"Yeah." I told her. "Harry Potter's about it though." I answered, truthfully. I did like to read, but nothing captured my attention except, for some weird reason, Harry Potter. I know what you're thinking. What a coincidence that her favorite book series is also mine. Well, it was a coincidence. I really did like Harry Potter. I swear.

"Huh. Really?" she asked, sounding intrigued.

"Yeah."

"Uh okay, music?"

"Anything really. I like a bunch of different stuff. Edward even got me into classical."

"Really? What's your favorite classical song?" I didn't know that she liked classical too. She never said anything about that.

"Uh… I guess… 'Ode to Joy' or maybe 'Flight of the Bumblebee'. Both of those are pretty cool."

"Cool." She paused for a minute and then said, "It's really weird, but we're a lot alike."

"Yeah." I half whispered. It was weird the way imprinting worked. Of course, the more I thought about it, the less weird it seemed. I mean, she _was_ supposedly my other half. Maybe I should tell her the secret. Maybe Jacob was right and she wouldn't mind.

"Seth?" Erin asked, bringing me back to Earth. "Seth? You there? Hello?"

"Huh? What? Sorry. Were you saying something?"

"No, but you haven't said anything for a while and I thought maybe you hung up." She sounded relieved.

I took a deep breath, plucking up all of my courage. I had to tell her, but there had to be a better way to tell her than just by blurting it out. Besides this was something that needed to be said in person.

"Uh… Erin?" I asked, before I lost my nerve.

"Yeah Seth?"

"Uh… can you meet me at the Cullen's tomorrow around noon?"

"Uh… yeah sure. I think I can find it." she said, curiously. "Why?"

"No reason." I said, quickly. Then I got an idea of how to tell her my secret. I'd show her. "Hey, can you wear some old clothes?" I asked.

"Yeah. Sure I will. But you aren't going to tell me why are you?" she asked me.

"Nope." I said. "You'll see tomorrow."

"Erin!" I heard someone shout on her end.

"Uh… Seth? I gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow. At noon. At the Cullen's. Bye." She sounded apprehensive.

"Uh… yeah." I said. She hung before I even got a chance to say goodbye.

I hung up the phone and sat up, sighing heavily. What had that been about? A second later, I heard a soft tap at my door.

"Yeah Mom." I said. "You can come in now." I knew she had been standing there since I shut the door.

She pulled open the door, shut it behind her, and sat down next to me, placing her hand on my knee. "So, is she pretty?" she asked, cutting to the chase.

I nodded. "Yeah, she is. She's got these eyes that just…" I trailed off, feeling slightly embarrassed.

My mom smiled softly. "You going to tell her about you being a wolf?" she asked, dragging up the serious issue.

I nodded again. "I guess I have to since she's my imprint."

She had a 'look' in her eyes. "Well, you could always stop phasing and just never tell her."

"You been talking to Jake?" I asked, knowing that's the only place she could have gotten it from.

She shook her head. "Billy."

I groaned. Jacob told his dad. Great. "Does everyone know now?"

She nodded. "Pretty much."

I sighed and muttered, "Perfect. Just perfect."

My mom chuckled softly. "Hey, they're all just happy that you finally imprinted. They said they missed the old Seth." She grinned and said, "I did too."

I hugged her. "Me too." I whispered.

After a few minutes she let go and said, "Well, when will I get to meet her? Tomorrow?"

"Mom." I whined. "I really don't know. First I'm telling her the secret and that she's my imprint and everything. If she doesn't think I'm a complete nutcase, then we'll see."

"Okay. Well, if you want to talk about anything else, just let me know." She got off the bed and walked to the door. "I mean it Seth. Anything you want to talk about." She then opened the door and walked out, shutting it softly behind her.

I sighed and just as I was about to try and get some sleep, the phone rang. "Hello?" I asked, even though I had a pretty good idea who it was.

"Yo Seth." Jacob, just like I'd suspected. "So, you decided you gonna tell Erin or what? I mean, me being the Alpha, I sorta need to know."

I sighed, "Yeah Jake. I'm telling her tomorrow. You gonna tell Sam?"

"He already knows." Jacob said, and I could picture him grinning his face off, singing to himself about how he was right.

"Well, how could Sam know I was going to tell Erin if you didn't?" I asked sarcastically.

He sighed, "Okay, so I sorta figured you would and told him anyway. Sue me."

"I would, but I don't have the money for a lawyer." I joked. "So, you gonna be at the Cullen's tomorrow at noon? That's when I'm telling her."

"Sure, sure. Wouldn't miss it for the world. The look on her face when she finds out. I need to buy a camera. Maybe Bells will let me borrow one."

"Yeah, well I don't think Bella'll like it too much if I shove her camera up your-"

"Hey, hey now. No reason to get hostile." Jacob said, quickly. "Can't even take a joke can you Sethie?"

I groaned. "Why does everyone have to call me that?"

"I bet if Erin did it you wouldn't mind too much." Jacob teased.

"Shut up." I growled.

"Oh come on. You can't honestly tell me that if Erin called you 'Sethie' you'd yell at her. You can't honestly tell me that if she called you that you wouldn't love it."

I groaned. "Good-bye Jacob." I hung up the phone.

Tomorrow was going to be a long day, the longest day of my life in fact. I wondered what she'd say. I mean, it could go two ways. Either she'd be totally cool with it or she'd freak out, run away, and never talk to me again. So, let's just say I was hoping she'd go with the first option.

**Well, that's it for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it a lot. Next update will be next Tuesday. Until then, read 'With Wings Wide Open' and 'In the Blink of an Eye' my other fan fictions. See ya!**


	5. Seth's A What?

**Hey everyone! It is time for another update! Alright, well this chapter is in Erin's POV. It will sometimes switch between her and Seth, but don't worry, I will let you know who's talking in the notes. So, this is the chapter where she finds out Seth's secret. How will she react? Well, it's time to find out. Here's Chapter 5.**

I stood looking at myself in the full length mirror that was attached to the inside of my closet door. Seth had told me to wear old clothes. Why was a mystery, but I would soon find out.

I had decided on a hot pink t-shirt, black skinny jeans, and an old, beat up pair of checkered Vans slip-ons. It was an outfit I had gotten for my thirteenth birthday and it still fit perfectly. I hadn't grown much.

I sighed and looked out my bedroom window. All I could see was a huge tree and bits of the overcast sky. I hoped it wasn't going to rain. Normally, I liked it, but I had a feeling that it would put a damper on my plans with Seth.

I turned back to the mirror. Something was missing. I went to the jewelry box on my desk and pulled out a pair of heart shaped studs with black and white stripes. Perfect. I put them on and then decided to put on a little bit of eyeliner. It was the only makeup I ever wore.

There. I looked awesome. I wondered why I really cared what I was wearing. I mean, it was just Seth. I'd known him for… not even quite a whole day. I shrugged my shoulders and checked the clock next to my bed.

It was almost eleven thirty. Time to get going. I slowly opened my bedroom door, praying my uncle was at work already. He was really strict and had yelled at me for being late when I had gotten back from the Cullens. Luckily, the TV wasn't on, so that meant the coast was clear.

I thanked God as I grabbed my backpack off my bed and decided against wearing a jacket. Lately, I hadn't been feeling very cold. Actually, I hardly felt cold at all. I had just been yanking Seth's chain when I told him I was freezing yesterday.

I slowly went down the creaky stairs, just in case my uncle hadn't gone to work yet and was just sleeping. It had happened before and I never wanted it to happen again. He was scary when he was mad.

I carefully opened the door, stepped out onto the porch, and shut it softly behind me. I looked in the driveway and saw, to my relief, that my uncle's car was gone. I went around to the garage, deciding to get my bike instead of walking all the way.

I hopped on and began peddling down the street. I began thinking, something I did a lot lately. I had just made my first ever friend since I came to Forks. Seth Clearwater. He made me laugh, something I hadn't done in a long while. I supposed I could count the Cullens and Jacob as my friends too, but something about all of them made me wonder. Were they hiding something? And, if so, what?

I was coming up the Cullens driveway before I realized it. The house was amazing, big and beautiful. It reminded me a little of my old house back in Astoria, but, of course, my house wasn't as big or as nice.

Seth was waiting for me on the porch steps, waving and grinning that huge grin of his. I parked my bike in front of the house and went over to him.

"Erin! You made it!" Seth shouted, hugging me tightly.

"Yeah, but… Seth… you're… crushing me." I choked out. That boy had one heck of a grip.

"Sorry 'bout that." he said, releasing me. He took a step back and frowned at me. "I thought I asked you to wear some old clothes."

I nodded. "These are old. Really old. I've had them since I was thirteen." I informed him.

He kept frowning. "And they still fit?" I nodded and he shrugged. "Huh, I guess not everyone grows as fast as I did. My mom couldn't keep me in clothes for very long." He got a wistful look on his face, so I thought I'd better change the subject.

"So, are you gonna tell me why you asked me to come here in my old clothes at noon?" I asked, curiously. "I could still be asleep you know, but you made this seem important." I added.

He nodded. "Yeah, it is. Really important." He looked like he was about to be sick.

"Uh, okay. What is it?" I was really curious now.

He held up his hands and sighed "Wait right here." He ran behind the Cullens house.

"Seth! Wait!" I shouted at him.

"Stay right there." he ordered. "I'll be out in a minute." His voice sounded shaky and strained.

The next second, I heard this groaning sound and then a huge, sandy colored… wolf(?) came walking towards me slowly. Needless to say, I was confused. Very confused. What was going on?

"Seth?" I asked. The wolf looked up at me, its eyes filled with sadness. Wait, I'd seen those eyes before. "Seth?" I asked the wolf.

It barked in answer and I crouched down. I tentatively scratched between its ears and it panted heavily. This couldn't be Seth. Could it? No, this only happened in books and movies. Didn't it?

I heard a loud chuckle behind me and turned around. Edward was standing on the porch and next to him was Jacob, who was doubled over with laughter.

"Yes Erin, that is Seth." Edward told me. I wondered how he knew what I was thinking. Well, I supposed it was pretty obvious.

I felt Seth nudge my leg and I turned to him. He looked like he was waiting for me to do something. But what? What did he want me to do?

"He wants you to ride." Edward explained. Jacob continued laughing.

"Ride?" I asked, confused and a little nervous. "You mean like a horse?" I had ridden horses before, but never ever a wolf.

Edward nodded. "Sort of. You just lean in more." Jacob cracked up at this and Edward gave him an annoyed look. "Yes… well." He pulled some clothes out of his pocket and tossed them to me. I caught them and he said, "Trust me. He'll need that."

I must have still looked out of it, because Edward said, "Well, you might want to get on now."

I nodded, shoved the clothes in my bag, and climbed on Seth, feeling extremely silly. I leaned in, just as Edward instructed and held on tight.

Seth turned to Edward who said, "Use the meadow Seth." The wolf nodded and we were off.

Seth ran straight for the woods and navigated through them so well that I knew he had to have been through them a bunch of times before.

This was all so weird. It was like some bizarre dream. Was it a dream? I mean, I used to have dreams about the world of Harry Potter. This was sort of like one of those dreams. But was that really all this was? Just one of my dreams. Or was this real? Was my new best friend really some kind of a… werewolf? That's what I assumed he was anyway.

Again, we got to our destination without me even realizing it. It was the most beautiful place I'd ever seen. It was open and I could see the sun shining through the clouds.

Seth let out a yip and I slid off him. He stood up on his hind legs, his front ones resting on my shoulders, and licked my face. I giggled and he nosed my backpack.

"Oh, right. Your clothes." I said, getting into my backpack. I pulled them out and he took them in his mouth, trotting off back into the woods. I figured that when he came back he'd explain.

I didn't have to wait very long, Seth was soon at my side. I looked him over. He looked the same as always. He wasn't even out of breath from all of that running. But there was something wrong.

"Uh… Seth. I think you have your shirt on backwards and inside out." I said, eyeing his tag.

He just shrugged and sat down on the ground. I sat down next to him and asked, "So, you gonna explain all of this to me?"

He sighed and said, "Yeah. I guess I better." He paused, clearly thinking of what to say, and then began. "Well, it's like this. I'm a werewolf. Or, more accurately, a shape-shifter."

I just nodded, unsure of what to say. I mean, what could I say? What would you say if you just found out your new friend was a werewolf… er shape-shifter?

"Erin?" Seth asked. "You gonna say something?" He looked at me, uneasily. I supposed he thought that I wasn't accepting any of this. Or maybe he thought I was going to run away. Either way, I'd just have to prove him wrong.

I sighed. "What is there to say? I mean, besides what do you mean by 'more accurately, a shape-shifter'?" I asked, using air quotes.

Seth's face softened a bit and he actually managed a small smile. "Well, I can only shift into a wolf. See, I'm not a werewolf 'cause I can shift anytime I want, not at the full moon. That and I don't eat people."

"Good to know." I laughed. "So, are there others like you?" I asked, feeling I already knew the answer to that.

He nodded. "Jacob and a bunch of others. My sister's the only girl ever. It's a Quileute thing. There's this legend. You'll hear it later."

"Why are you telling me all of this?" I figured he had to keep it a secret. Besides, who would believe him anyways? If I hadn't see it with my own eyes I wouldn't have believed him either.

He looked down at the ground. "Um… well… I'll tell you later." He looked back at me and I raised my eyebrow at him. "Promise." he assured me.

I sighed. "Okay." I stuck out my pinky. "Pinky promise." I told him.

He gave me a skeptical look. "What is this?" he asked. "First grade." He linked his pinky with mine anyways. "Pinky promise." he said.

He looked up at the sky. "We better get going." He stood up.

"Where exactly are we going?" I asked, standing up.

"The Cullen's. There's more that you need to know and I'm not the one who needs to tell you." He ran back in the woods and came back moments later as the sandy wolf, his clothes in his mouth.

I stuck them in my bag, hopped on and we were off once again.

What more did I need to know? What else was there? Maybe I was going to hear about those legends or something. But why couldn't Seth just tell me them? Maybe he wasn't good at it. Maybe Jacob was better at telling them.

I found myself at the Cullen's before I realized it, again. I just hadn't been paying too much attention. Thinking too much I supposed.

I handed Seth his clothes and watched him run back into the woods. Seconds later, he ran out, his shirt on the right way this time.

"Let's get this over with." he said, leading me into the house. He walked me into the living room where I was met by some familiar faces and one I had not seen before. This must have been the Dr. Cullen I had heard about.

Seth sat me down on the couch and the man I assumed was Dr. Cullen spoke while everyone else remained silent.

"Well, hello. Erin right?" he asked, smiling at me. I nodded and he said, "I'm Carlisle. I see Seth's already explained to you about him and Jacob." I nodded again and he said, "Well, we also have a secret to tell you."

I noticed… Rosalie, I think, stiffen when he said that, but no one else seemed to notice.

"Seth tells me you love fantasy. You read Harry Potter." Again, I nodded. "Well, what do you know about vampires?"

I wondered why he was asking me that, but I answered anyway. "Uh… well I know they drink blood, can't come out in daylight, are really strong, really fast, and some even have special abilities."

He nodded. "Yes, that's all true. Do you know why vampires can't come out in daylight?"

I nodded again. "Don't they, like, disintegrate or something?" I asked, slowly. I still had no idea where this conversation was going.

"Actually, we cannot come out in daylight because it would expose us. The sun doesn't kill us, it just makes us… sparkle. Humans would know we were different."

Wait. Did he just say 'we' and 'us'? No, that was impossible. The Cullens couldn't be vampires. No way. But then again, Seth and Jacob were shape-shifters. Anything was possible right? But if they were that raised some questions. Some _big _questions.

Edward stepped in and said, "No, we aren't going to hurt you. We're vegetarians. And, the reason I seem to know what you're thinking is because I do. I can read minds."

I was confused. "And by vegetarians you mean…?"

"We only drink animal blood." Alice chimed in, literally sounding like a chime.

"All of you?" I asked, eyeing Bella.

"Yes. All of us. I'm the newest addition." Bella explained. "I knew the Cullens were vampires before I was changed. That was actually why I was changed. Edward had to save me."

I began feeling confused again. "Save you?" I asked, curiously. "From what?"

Nessie looked at me sadly and said, "From me." She walked over to me and touched my hand.

Images swarmed into my brain. I saw Bella, Edward, and Jacob. This was obviously Nessie's birth. Bella looked different. Human. When Nessie drew back, I was still very confused.

"Renesmee is only half-vampire." Bella explained. "She's the only one of us who sleeps or can eat human food."

"Don't worry." Edward said, smiling at me. "It gets easier from here. Nothing surprises you anymore."

I nodded. "So, if Edward can read minds and Nessie can show people things, what can the rest of you do?"

Bella spoke up first. "I'm a shield."

Alice went next. "I can see the future. But the future changes with the decisions a person makes. I can see vampires and humans, but I can't see Nessie or the wolves. So, if you're with one of them, I can't see you either."

Jasper softly told me, "I can manipulate emotions.", and suddenly I was very calm.

"The rest of us really don't have any other powers." Carlisle told me. "Except for the fact that Emmett is unusually strong, even for a vampire."

Seth, who had remained quite up until this point, said, "So?"

I took a deep breath and said, "This is all a little hard to swallow, but I think I can deal with it. I mean, maybe it's just because I like this kind of stuff or because I really want friends. But I won't tell anyone. Promise."

Everyone, except Rosalie, nodded. Then Edward said, "Seth, you can take her up to Alice and Jasper's room. I believe there's one more thing you need to tell her."

"Yes Seth. You know where it is." Alice told him.

I figured he was going to tell me the reason why he was trusting me with these secrets. I mean, what else could it be? He wasn't going to tell me I was a pixie or something, right? Of course, after today I'd believe anything.

I followed him to Alice and Jasper's room. No bed, (surprise, surprise) so we sat on the floor.

I felt like we were back in the meadow. "So, is this the thing I made you pinky promise you'd tell me."

Seth nodded and said, "I really don't know how to tell you all of this. It's really complicated."

"More complicated than you being a werewolf and the Cullens being vampires?" I asked, skeptically.

"Believe it or not, yes. It's way more complicated than that." he said, sighing.

"Try me." I dared him. I noticed my glasses were sliding off, so I pushed them back up.

"Do you know what imprinting means?" he asked me, very seriously.

"Yeah, it's like why a baby duck follows the first thing it sees, usually its mother. Like an attachment." I answered.

"Yeah, except it's way more complex than that." he told me.

I shook my head. "What is?"

"Well, when one of us shape-shifters imprints, it means we've found our other half." He groaned. "Man, I'm not explaining this right."

"Maybe if you give me an example." I said, slowly, again wondering where this conversation was going.

Seth sighed. "I suppose that might work." he began. "Have you noticed how Jake is always hovering around Nessie?"

I had noticed that. It made me wonder. "Yeah."

"Well, he imprinted on her. When she was born."

"So, you can imprint on anyone at any age?" I asked, feeling even more curious.

Seth nodded. "The imprinter does whatever his imprintee wants, within reason. And he's there for her, whatever she needs. If she needs a friend, he can be that friend. If she needs an older brother, he can be that older brother. If she needs a protector, he can be that too. And, if she chooses, he can be her… lover. But, only if she says so.

"Most of the imprints have chosen this, because it's hard to ignore that kind of commitment and love. Only Nessie and Claire, Jacob's friend Quil's imprint, have chosen to be just friends with their imprinters because they are still young. Technically, Nessie's only three and Claire's only six." He stopped.

"So, why tell me all this?" I asked, still confused and very curious.

He sighed and said, "Because, you're my imprint. I imprinted on you."

I was at a complete loss for words. I was his… _other half_? "Is that why you were so friendly yesterday?" I asked, not quite sure how I felt about all of this.

He shook his head. "No, that's just the way I am. I just tried harder for you to like me because you're my imprint."

We sat in silence for a few minutes before I just had to say something. "Seth, I don't know about this. I mean, I've never really had a boyfriend and now, all of a sudden, my new friend tells me I'm his soul mate."

Seth sighed again. "Yeah, I see how hard it would be to take in. Too much in one day."

"Yeah, a bit." I whispered to myself even though I'm sure he heard me. "Seth, I think I just want to be friends." I told him.

He nodded. "Yeah, I understand. But, if you ever change your mind, let me know."

I nodded back. "I promise."

He stuck out his pinky. "Pinky promise?" he asked, cracking a smile.

I nodded again and linked my pinky with his. "Pinky promise." Then, realization hit me like a semi truck. "Oh my God!" I shouted, jumping up. "What time is it?" I asked.

"About three thirty." Seth said, frowning.

"Oh crap!" I yelled. "My uncle will be back in a half hour for lunch. I gotta get home!"

"You sure you can make it back on your bike?" he asked me. "I could always run you over there, or Edward could drive you."

"No." I said, shaking my head. "I can make it. I'll see you later." I ran towards the door but he stopped me.

"Erin, there's something I wanted to ask." he said.

"Can this wait Seth?" I asked, giving him a pleading look.

He just shook his head. "We're having a huge bonfire tomorrow. The whole pack and some family members. We're gonna eat and tell the legends. You wanna come?"

I looked into his brown eyes, begging me to come. I sighed, defeated. "Pick me up after school tomorrow."

He nodded and let me leave. I had to get home fast. I ran out of the house without telling anyone good-bye. I hopped on my bike, pedaling as fast as I could. I had to beat my uncle home. I just had to.

**Well, that's all. Way longer than usual. It'll probably be my longest chapter. Next chapter is in Seth's POV. Check out my other stories. Please leave me a long review. I'll update next Tuesday. Pinky promise. Goody-bye.**


	6. Friendship

**Hi all of you good people out there in cyberspace. I've been getting a ton of awesome reviews. I'm really happy that you all love the story. Okay, so I thought I'd better get this chapter up today. This one will be in Seth's point of view and he'll get some advice. Well, without any further ado, here's Chapter 6.**

I felt like my heart had been ripped out, torn to shreds, and had the Mexican hat dance done on it until it was pounded in the dirt. Okay, I know you're thinking I'm exaggerating, but I'm not. It was like I was at the end of a dark tunnel. The only faint hint of light was that Erin still wanted to be my friend and had agreed to come to the bonfire with me.

I had to get out of the Cullen's house. Fast. I couldn't let them see me like this. Not after I just started going back to normal. I ran down the stairs and headed for the door. I could hear Edward coming after me.

I didn't even make it to the door. He was standing there in front of it, leaving me wondering how he managed that.

"Edward let me out of here. Now." I growled angrily, not like myself at all.

"Seth, you know I can't do that." He grabbed my arm and proceeded to drag me, unwillingly mind you, into the living room.

_Stupid bloodsucker. _I thought. Why couldn't he just let me be?

_Seth, you know you don't think that. _He told me in my head, his velvet voice ringing in my brain.

_I just wanna get out of here. _I told him, defeated.

_And we just want to help. _He said, wheeling me into the living room and throwing me down on the couch where everyone stood, looking at me. There was no way I was escaping.

"What do you guys want?" I asked, trying to be calm.

Bella looked at me and said, "Edward heard Erin's thoughts."

Alice shook her head. "Not only that but you seem to be forgetting that we're vampires. We heard everything upstairs. Why do you think we asked you to go to the room right above our heads?" she asked, pointing up towards the ceiling.

"Really Seth. Gotta think about this stuff." Emmett laughed.

Jacob turned his back to me and faced the Cullens. "Lemme handle this guys. I know what to say."

Edward looked at him hard and nodded. "Jacob's right. He knows what to say to Seth. He'll help."

All of the Cullens walked out of the room except for Nessie. "Don't worry Seth. Things'll work out." she told me softly. Then she left too, leaving me and Jacob alone.

Jake plopped down on the couch next to me and sighed. "How do you feel Seth?"

"Terrible." I muttered darkly.

Jacob shook his head. "No. You feel worse than terrible." He studied my face and said, "I've been there kid."

I turned away. "No you haven't."

"Do you not remember?" he asked, making me turn back to him. What was he talking about? "With Bella?" he asked, trying to jog my memory.

"That wasn't the same." I growled.

"Okay, we'll see." he challenged. "You love her and you know she doesn't feel the same. You feel like she ripped your heart out, tore it into tiny pieces, and jumped on them."

"No." I said. "It feels like she did a Mexican hat dance on it." I felt the need to add some humor. This conversation was very depressing.

Jacob shook his head, annoyed with me. "Same difference."

"So what did you do?" I asked, finally accepting his help. I had nothing to lose and nothing better to do.

He smirked, clearly thinking I made a wise choice. "Don't give up on her so easily. If I gave up on Bella, well we probably wouldn't be friends at all right now."

"But Bella wasn't your imprint. Nessie is. It's my imprint that hates me." I reminded him, grimly.

Jacob sighed. "Are you that stupid?" He beat on my head. "Hello? Anyone home in there? Earth to Seth's brain. Earth to Seth's brain. Testing. One, two, three testing. Hello? Is this thing on?"

"Cut it out!" I yelled, throwing his arm off of me.

"Sorry. I'm just wondering if you blew a fuse or something. You seem to have forgotten that she still wants to be your friend. Ergo, she doesn't hate you." He shook his head again. "Honestly."

"Yeah Jake. She wants to be my friend. Just my friend. Nothing else."

"So? That's something. Maybe she'll change her mind." he told me.

I thought about that. It was a possibility. Maybe she'd think it over and one day decide that she felt the same way about me. I mean, she just found out about werewolves and vampires. I couldn't expect her to be perfectly fine with _everything_, especially _that_. Maybe she'd come around.

I sighed. "Maybe you're right. And anyway, I should just be happy that she doesn't think we all need to be carted off to the loony-bin."

"Exactly!" Jacob shouted. "That's the spirit! So, invite her to do something."

"I already invited her to the bonfire tomorrow." I informed him. "She wants me to pick her up after school."

"Meaning that you want me to drive you down to Forks High." Jacob said. He knew me too well. "Wonder why she wants you, I mean us, to pick her up so early."

I shrugged. "She didn't tell me that. But, that's okay. Emily and Mom will be happy to have an extra pair of hands in the kitchen." The rest of us were of no help whatsoever. We'd have eaten half the food before it was actually ready.

He nodded and said, "True." at the exact same moment that Edward stuck his head into the room.

"Glad you feel better Seth." he told me. "Oh, Charlie just called Bella. Your mother wants you home. I think she's excited to see how things went today."

I nodded and stood up. "Thanks Edward. Thanks Jacob. I really think I needed that."

Jacob grinned and Edward said, "Happy to oblige. If you need any advice you can come to me." Jacob scowled and Edward added, "Or Jacob." through gritted teeth.

I made my way home, feeling a little better. This whole day had been pretty stressful. I had been so worried that Erin would think I was nuts that I forgot to brace myself in case she said she didn't want to be with me.

I got to my house without realizing it and pulled open the front door. My mom was sitting at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee in her hand. I headed for my room and heard her follow me. I flopped on my bed and looked out the window.

I felt Mom sit down and turned to her. Her face was full of concern and she said, "Hey. How'd everything go today?"

I sighed. "Well, she doesn't think I'm insane."

She smiled a little. "Always a good thing." She looked at my expression and said, "But…"

"The imprinting thing discouraged her. She just wants to be friends."

My mom hugged me to her. "Oh Sethie. I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" She pulled away from me and studied my face.

I shook my head. "Not really. But everything'll work out." I told her, remembering Nessie's words. "Maybe she'll change her mind."

Mom smiled. "That's right. All is not lost. Anything can happen. In time, she may decide she feels the same way."

I nodded. "Yeah. And she's coming to the bonfire. Jacob's gonna drive me to Forks High after school and we'll pick her up and bring her here."

She smiled. "Sounds good. I'm very excited to meet her."

"I think she'll be happy to meet you too." I told her.

There was a tap on the wall and I turned to the doorway. Charlie was standing there with the phone in his hand. "Sorry to interrupt, but someone wants to talk to you Seth. It's Erin."

My mom hopped up as Charlie handed me the phone. "We'll leave you alone." Mom said, taking Charlie's hand, walking out, and shutting the door behind them.

I sighed and put the phone to my ear, laying down. "Hey Erin."

She sighed too. "Hi Seth. Listen I'm really sorry about-"

"Forget it." I cut her off.

"You aren't mad?" she asked softly.

"Heck no." I said. Then I decided to add, "I'm just happy you didn't think I was crazy."

She laughed and said, "If I hadn't seen your eyes when you turned into a wolf, I wouldn't have believed you. You have amazing eyes." She realized what she said, gasped, and said, "I mean… I-"

I cut her off by laughing. "It's okay." Then, knowing it would make her feel better, I said, "You have amazing eyes too."

She chuckled and asked, "Even with the glasses?"

I laughed and said, "Yeah, even with the glasses."

We went silent for a few moments. We were both waiting on the other to say something. I figured that I might as well say something first. "I'm really glad you're coming tomorrow."

"Huh?" she asked, startled. "Oh yeah. Sorry. I forgot all about that. I can't wait either."

I sighed. "So, any particular reason you want me to pick you up immediately after school?"

"No. No reason at all." she said hurriedly.

Weird. "Uh okay. Well, everyone's really psyched to meet you." I said, changing the subject.

"I can't wait to meet them either. They sound awesome." She paused and then said, "Hey Seth? Would you mind if I sketched you?"

That question took me aback, but I said, "Sure. You can sketch me as a wolf if you want. I don't mind."

"Uh, well I was actually thinking of as a human, but I guess I can do both. No problem." she said.

"Oh no." I said, quickly. "You don't have to do both. Just a human drawing is fine."

"Nope." she said. "You've convinced me to do both. I already have some ideas. I'll get started when we get to your house. That is, if you don't mine."

"Nah. That's cool."

She giggled. "Good." She went silent then said, rather hurriedly, "Oh man. I gotta go Seth. My uncle's home. Sorry. I'll see you tomorrow okay?"

"Yeah okay." I said, yet again not getting to say good-bye before she hung up. I hung up the phone, but kept it pressed to my chest. Maybe sleep would help. Maybe…

**Well, did you guys like that. I suppose it was a filler, but I really don't care and I don't think you do either. So, I'd really love it if you talented artists out there could draw Erin for me. Her description is in Chapter 2. I'd appreciate it a lot. Well, leave me some reviews. Peace.**


	7. Ride

**Sup guys? Thanks for the reviews you gave me. I'm really glad so many of you like this story. Okay, quick recap. Erin has told Seth she just wants to be friends with him and he took it pretty hard. This chapter is the chapter before the bonfire. Erin's meeting the pack and some of their family members and imprints. This chapter is in Erin's POV. Anyway, here we go. Chapter 7 coming at you. **

The final bell rang and I hopped out of my desk and almost ran out the door. I was excited to see Seth again. I mean, he was really my only friend. If you only had one friend you'd be overly excited to see that friend too, right? Right. That's what I thought.

I went to my locker and pulled out my backpack. I was so glad I didn't have homework. It'd be hard to work on it with all that was going on today. I made sure I packed my sketch book and slammed my locker shut. Time to get out of here.

I walked out the front doors and stepped outside. It was sunny today. It hadn't been sunny for a whole month. I stood in front of the school, waiting for Seth to show up. I checked my watch, impatiently.

I heard a loud honk and a voice shouted, "Erin! Hey Erin! Over here! Erin!".

I turned in the direction of the shouting and saw Seth waving at me from a car. I guessed it was Jacob's because he was the one who was driving. I waved back and ran up to them.

"Hey Seth." I smiled.

He smiled back and stared at me. I felt myself blush. I didn't get embarrassed easily. It took a whole lot to make me blush. So, why was Seth doing it? Maybe it was the sudden attention I was getting. Or maybe it was because yesterday I had found out I was the soul mate of a guy I had known for a grand total of two days. Yeah, I had a hunch that was why.

"You look nice." he said, sort of quietly.

I looked down at my outfit. I was wearing a yellow t shirt with a smiley face on it, a pair of blue jeans, my purple converses, and I had a black headband in my hair. I didn't want to dress too fancy. Besides, this was my style.

"Thanks." I said, smiling.

Jacob rolled his eyes. "Are you going to be getting in the car anytime soon?" I could tell he was joking, because he was smiling.

I rolled my eyes, opened the car door, and climbed into the backseat. Jacob looked behind him and pulled out.

No one really said anything for a while. Jacob was the first one to say something. "What is wrong with you Seth? On our way over here you couldn't shut up." He looked back at me. "He kept on and on about how excited he was that you were coming."

I giggled. "Really?" I asked. "He really couldn't shut up about me?" I heard Seth groan as he sunk down in his seat.

"Nope." Jacob said, popping the 'p'. "It comes with the imprinting thing I suppose. I usually can't shut up about Nessie either."

"Is she coming?" I asked, curiously. I had been hoping to see her again. She seemed really nice and I could tell we'd be really good friends.

"Uh…" Jacob seemed kind of uncomfortable. "Well, the Cullens aren't really allowed down on the rez."

I frowned at that. "Why not?"

Jacob cringed and said, reluctantly, "Well, there's this treaty and it's a really long and boring story. You'll understand when my dad starts talking about the legends."

I nodded. "Okay, but isn't Bella allowed to go down there and visit Charlie?"

Jacob nodded. "Oh yeah. We just have some precautions. First, only Bella and Nessie can come to La Push. Second, they have to be with me at all times. Third, Bella has to have hunted before she comes over. Sam doesn't want to take any risks."

I nodded. It made perfect sense. "So, why isn't Nessie coming?"

Jacob groaned and looked really mad. "I really don't want to talk about it."

Seth turned around and looked at me. "Well, Edward doesn't want her too. See, we'll be there until pretty late and-"

"And Edward doesn't want me to be near Nessie without him or Bella there to keep an eye on me." Jacob growled angrily. "It's not like I'm going to do anything."

We fell silent again and didn't say another word until we pulled up to a house. The mailbox said 'Clearwater'. This must be Seth's house. It wasn't very big but then what did that really matter? We piled out of the car and went inside.

"Mom! Charlie! We're here!" Seth shouted into the house from the hallway.

A woman, Seth's mother I assumed, walked into the small hall, her beautiful brown eyes wide with delight.

She walked over to me and pulled me into a hug. "You must be Erin. You're as every bit as pretty as Seth said." She pulled away and took a good look at me. "I see what he meant about your eyes."

I heard Seth choke and Jacob thumped him hard on his back. I giggled and said, "Thanks. It's nice to meet you Mrs. Clearwater."

She shook her head. "Call me Sue." She turned towards the kitchen and shouted, "Charlie! Come here! We have company!"

A man shouted back. "Sue, I see Jacob, Quil, Embry, Sam, Paul, Jared, Collin, and Brady everyday! They aren't going to change anytime soon!"

Sue rolled her eyes. "That man. Honestly." She turned back towards the kitchen. "It's not one of the boys! Well, Jacob's here, but that's besides the point!"

There was silence for a second and then Charlie shouted, "It can't be Billy! He'd have come in here by now!" He paused and said, "Okay, I give up! Who is it?!"

She shook her head. "It's Erin Morgan!"

"Who?"

Seth groaned and Jacob shook his head, trying to keep himself from laughing.

"I promise he isn't usually like this." Sue assured me.

That was too much for Jake. He snorted and said, "Don't lie to her Sue. Charlie's like this all of the time."

Sue sighed. "Yes. I suppose he is."

"Oh!" Charlie shouted randomly.

I heard footsteps coming towards us and a Charlie appeared. He was tall and I could see where Renesmee got her eyes from. He stuck out his hand and I shook it. "Charlie Swan. Forks Chief of Police. Sorry 'bout that."

I smiled. "No problem."

"Uh, I'm thinking this hallway's a little cramped." Jacob said. "Can we please go somewhere else?"

"Of course." Sue said, leading us into the living room.

As soon as I sat down on the couch I saw why Charlie had been so distracted. He'd been watching a ball game. Sorta reminded me of my dad. When a game was on you couldn't pry him away from the TV for nothing, not even if the house was on fire.

"Well, I suppose we better leave you kids alone." Sue said. "Gotta get cooking." She grabbed Charlie's arm. "Come on Charlie."

"Sue." Charlie said, his eyes glued to the TV. "The game."

Sue shook her head. "There'll be another game. Besides, Billy's probably taping it. Now come on." She dragged him, with some difficulty, from the room.

Jacob laughed and grabbed the remote, flipping through channels.

"So Seth," I said, turning to him. "Wanna get started on that sketch?" I asked.

He nodded. "Sure. Whadda ya want me to do?"

I pulled my sketch book and a pencil out of my backpack. "Uh… well you don't have to stay completely still or anything. You just have to keep your face towards me so I can get the details right."

Jacob snorted from the chair. "That shouldn't be too hard for Seth."

Seth and I both shot him a look and Jacob rolled his eyes at us. "Can't take a joke."

I turned back to Seth and began working. Every once in a while I'd look up and meet his eyes and we'd just stare at each other for a second. Then he'd avert his eyes and I'd go back to my sketch.

"Okay." I said, finishing one last detail. "Finished."

"Can I see?" Seth asked, excited.

I smiled slyly and shook my head. "No way. No peeking. I'm not finished. That was only your face. I'm going to draw the rest of you later. Trust me, you'll love it when it's done."

Seth nodded. "Okay. I guess I can wait."

I was about to say something when Jacob let out an almighty snore and then fell off the chair. He awoke with a start, dazed and confused. "Wha? Wha happened? What's going on?"

Seth and I busted into laughter and Jacob turned blood red, got up, and sat back down in the chair. Seth and I settled down for a minute, but then we caught each other's eyes and started all over again.

I could tell that today was going to be a very good day. The best day I had in a long, long time. I hoped it wouldn't end. But all good things have to stop sometime. After the bonfire I'd go home and have to deal with my uncle. That wasn't going to be fun. Not fun at all.

**Okay, that's all for right now. Next chapter will be the bonfire in Seth's POV. I hope you all really like this story. Anyway, leave me some nice, long reviews that'll make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. See you next week!**


	8. More Introductions

**Well guys, I'm sick today so I thought that the perfect way to make me feel better would be to write some fanfiction. Okay, I've been getting a few reviews about how much you love this story, how you are seriously wondering what's up with Erin's uncle, giving me tips about art for Erin's drawings, and saying that Seth is the absolute coolest person ever. This brings a smile to my face. Again, I'm gonna ask all of you talented artists out there to draw Erin for me (description in Chapter 2). Also, for those of you who love Maximum Ride, check out my other stories, 'With Wings Wide Open' and 'In the Blink of an Eye'. I'm telling you. You will love these stories. Well, I guess I should get this chapter started. I hope you like it.**

Jacob, Erin, and I were watching a movie when I heard the front door swing open. The guys were here. Sure enough, I heard them all thunder into the living room, shouting various greetings to Mom and Charlie.

Quil poked his head into the living and shouted over his shoulder. "Yeah guys she's here." I knew he meant Erin. Well, I knew they'd have to meet her sometime. I just wondered why I couldn't have given her a warning before they showed up.

I looked over at her for a brief second and saw that a smile was forming at the corners of her mouth. So far, so good.

They all piled in at once, sitting themselves down and staring at Erin. Awkward. I hoped this would run smoothly. It had too. If my imprint didn't like my friends then that could complicate things.

"Yo Seth." Brady called, tossing me a bag and plopping down on the foot stool in front of Jacob's chair. "Just in case you need them."

I frowned at him and looked at the bag. Breath mints. What a hilarious joke. Before I could toss them back at him, Erin took a look at the bag and started laughing.

Brady looked surprised, but grinned anyway. "A sense of humor. I like that. She's a keeper Seth."

I rolled my eyes. "Who asked you Brady?" I tossed them back at him and they hit him in the head, just where I had been aiming.

Embry wolf whistled. "Seth, you lucky dog." Then he added, "How is it that a loser like you imprints before me?"

Quil rolled his eyes. "And how is it that I'm friends with you idiots?" He turned to Erin. "Quil. Nice to meet you."

"You too." Erin replied.

Jared stared at the TV. "What in the heck are you watching?"

Jacob rolled his eyes. "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Can you believe it?" He looked at Erin. "The little geek girl over there wanted to watch and Seth wrestled me for the remote."

Paul laughed his butt off. "The great, almighty Alpha got defeated by Seth? That is just too much." he said, in between gasps for breath.

"Nice one Seth." Collin said, slapping me high fives. He also turned to Erin and said, "I'm Collin."

Erin smiled. "Nice to meet you Collin."

Collin looked at me. "You know, I think she's going to be great friends with Scout." Scout Barlow was Collin's imprint. He was the last person to imprint before me, so Embry, Brady, and Leah were the only ones yet to find their other half.

"Hmm. Yeah, I think Scout will get along great with her." I replied. Scout was great. She was funny, smart, and an excellent writer.

I sighed, "S'pose I should introduce everyone." I said.

Erin nodded. "Yeah that'd be helpful." she joked.

I pointed to them each in turn. "Jared, Paul, Collin, Embry, Brady, and Quil." I said, "Now you've met them all."

She shook her head, "No, I still haven't met your sister or Sam."

"Trust me." I said. "You're better off never meeting Leah." The guys nodded in agreement. "As for Sam, where is he anyway?"

"Uh… I think Sam went to do errands with Emily." Brady said. "They took Claire with them, wherever they went."

Erin turned to Quil. "Claire's your imprint right?" I had told her just about everything that had to do with the pack.

He nodded. "Yeah. She's a sweet little kid. She's a handful though." He sighed.

Brady looked at the TV for a second and said, "Hey, can we turn this off? No one's watching it."

I hesitantly turned to Erin. She looked at the TV and nodded so I turned it off.

She sighed and said, "Shame. That was my favorite part in the book. Fred and George causing mass mayhem before they leave Hogwarts. Those gits ruined it."

I had to laugh. Whenever she talked about Harry Potter, she started talking like them. Earlier she had been shouting at the TV about how it left out a ton of stuff like Ron and Hermione being prefects and about how it was Mad Eye that showed Harry the picture of the first Order, not Sirius or how they completely just forgot about Mundugus Fletcher.

We talked and talked until Mom finally shouted, "Dinner's ready, come and get it!"

"Finally!" Embry and Jacob shouted in unison as everyone ran out of the room in a stampede.

Erin and I took a little longer to leave. We weren't in much of a rush to get any food. I guess we just wanted to talk alone for a while.

"Well, the guys seem to like you." I noted.

She nodded. "I like them too. They seem nice. A little loony, but nice."

I laughed. "Yeah, well I'm glad. I thought they might scare you off. Paul can be a bit… mean. I didn't want to have to attack him. He's bigger than me."

She frowned, confused. "Why would you have to do that?"

I sighed. "If Paul said anything about you, it'd make me mad. And then he'd notice and keep at it until I phased and attacked him. I have to protect you." I paused and then said, "But since Paul imprinted on Jacob's sister Rachel, he's been better."

She nodded in understanding. "You'd never let anyone hurt me. You'd kill them if they tried."

I nodded slowly. "Yeah. Why you ask?"

"Uh… no reason. Just making sure I got all the rules of this imprinting thing." she said hastily, shoving her glasses back up to her face.

I stared at her for a second, shrugged my shoulders, and opened the front door. We walked onto the porch into the cool evening air. The sky was a light shade of purple and I saw Erin's eyes go wide. She was scrutinizing every detail in case she wanted to draw it later.

"Come on." I said, grabbing her hand out of sheer impulse. "We'd better get to the food before everyone's eaten it all. 'Sides, there are still a lot more people you have to meet."

She glanced down at my hand, grasping hers. I considered letting go for a moment before she smiled and said, "You're right. Let's go."

I was surprised, but pulled her towards Charlie, who was at the grill, giving out food.

He smiled at Erin and said, "What would you like? A burger? Hot dog?"

She smiled and asked, "Think I could get one of each?"

Charlie frowned, but said, "Sure. You want anything on them?"

She nodded. "Can I get some mustard?"

He got her out a plate and fixed up her burger and hot dog and squirted some mustard on each. "Want any chips?"

Erin looked thoughtful and after a couple second said, "Uh do you have salt and vinegar flavored."

Charlie pulled out a bag of chips. "Just so happens I do. Anything to drink?"

She nodded, taking her plate. "Orange Sunkist."

Charlie pulled one out of the cooler and handed it to her. "There you go." He then turned to me and said, "What about you Seth?"

Before I had a chance to answer Billy rolled up beside Charlie. "Hey Seth." he said, smiling. "How've you been?"

I smiled back. "Billy, I know what you're up to. If you want to meet Erin all you have to do is tell me."

Billy shook his head. "Can't I ask a person how they are without having a motive?"

I sighed. "Fine. I'll play your game." I said. "I'm fine Billy. How are you?"

"Eh. The usual. Tired." He smiled slyly. "So, when do I get to meet this imprint of yours?"

Erin laughed while I shook my head. "Billy, this is Erin. Erin, this is Jacob's dad, Billy."

She extended her hand and he shook it. "Nice to meet you Billy."

He stared at her for a minute. "Nice to met you too." He dropped her hand, but stared at her a while longer. "Well, I won't keep you from showin' her off to more people Seth."

Billy rolled off and shrugged my shoulders. "Sometimes I think Jake's right about Billy." I shook my head. "Crazy old man."

Erin chuckled. "I like him. He seemed nice."

I nodded. "Oh yeah, Billy is. But he's pretty strange."

Charlie shoved a plate under my nose. "I went ahead and put your food on it. You'll eat anything."

I frowned. "What about my Pepsi?" I asked. "I'm gonna get thirsty you know."

Charlie shook his head. "Is that all you teenagers do? Complain, complain, complain." He tossed me a Pepsi anyways and I led Erin to a spot under a tree to sit.

I settled down next to her and leaned against the tree trunk. "Starting to have second thoughts about hanging around me?"

"Hmm." she said, pretending to think about it. "Nah. I like hanging with you. Better than doing nothing."

I pretended to be offended. "Oh, so that's how it is?"

She smirked, "Yeah that's how it is." She punched me on the arm. "You know I'm kidding right?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yeah." I took a bite of my hot dog. I swallowed and said. "And you know I'm kidding right?"

She nodded. "Of course."

I didn't get another bite of food before Quil came up with Claire in his arms. "Hey. Claire wanted to meet Erin."

Claire gave Erin a big smile. "Hi. Are you Seth's girlfriend?"

I almost gagged on my Pepsi. Uh oh. I hadn't gotten around to telling Claire that Erin wasn't my girlfriend and apparently no else did either.

Erin smiled sweetly at her. "Well sweetie, I am Seth's friend, but not his girlfriend."

"Well, that's too bad. Seth's funny and really nice. He always gives me his last cookie if I ask."

Erin laughed. "Well, he is really nice and sweet, but I just don't want a boyfriend."

Claire nodded. "Okay. But just remember what I said."

Erin nodded. "You know Quil, you're right. She is a cute kid."

Quil grinned and Claire said, "Hey, I'm not a kid anymore. I'm gonna be a first grader soon."

We all laughed at that and then Quil took Claire to go visit with Billy. It was just me and Erin again… for about five minutes. Then Collin dragged Scout over.

"Hey guys." Collin said, his hand around Scout's waist. "Erin, this is Scout. I really think you guys are going to get along great."

Scout waved and said, "Nice to meet you Erin. Love the shirt."

Erin smiled. "Thanks. I love your hair."

Collin and I rolled our eyes. "Girls." Collin muttered. "Why do I put up with them?" He looked at Scout and said, "Oh yeah, that's right."

Scout rolled her eyes and kissed him on the cheek. "Isn't he hilarious?" she asked sarcastically. "But I love him anyway."

I snuck a glance at Erin. This wasn't going too well. More awkwardness. Stupid imprinting biting me in the butt.

Soon Scout and Collin left and Emily came up with Sam. Would the line of well wishers never cease? I mean, these people were my friends. Couldn't they see that I wanted to be alone with Erin my… friend? Oh no. They were all trying to get her to go out with me. She was going to think I put them up to this. Crud.

"Hi." Emily said, entirely too cheerfully. "You must be Erin. I'm Emily."

Erin smiled back. "Hi, nice to meet you."

"Emily, don't you have something to do somewhere else?" I asked, giving her a meaningful stare.

"Seth, are you okay?" Sam asked, raising his eyebrows. "You're acting kinda funny."

"Funny?" I asked. "Funny how?"

Emily looked at me and then said, "Sam, I think we should get going. I think Paul's about to eat all of your food." She dragged Sam, who was very confused, off.

"Well, we better not let all of this food go to waste." I said, grabbing a hand full of chips.

We ate in silence for a while before Leah came up and said, "C'mon. Time for the legends."

"Well aren't we enthusiastic?" I asked.

Leah rolled her eyes, muttered "Little brothers.", and walked off. What a loving sister. How lucky am I?

I stuck my tongue out at her retreating figure. "I told you Leah was a pain."

Erin frowned at me. "People aren't just mean for no reason." I stared at her and she shrugged and said, "What? My mom was a psychologist. I heard her talking about things like this."

I sighed. "Leah used to be Sam's girlfriend. But then he imprinted on Emily and left Leah without a clue. Now she knows why, but she's still angry about it."

She nodded thoughtfully. "I think she'll be okay. She just needs someone."

I nodded. "Yeah, but Leah thinks she's a lost cause." I sighed. "Well, we better get going." I stood up and then reached my hand down to pull her up.

"Thanks." she smiled.

We walked over to everyone and grabbed seats. This was my favorite part of the whole bonfire. The legends were captivating, it was like you were there. Billy cleared his throat and the stories began.

**Okay, the end of another chapter. Leave me a nice long review and I'll update soon. Bye.**


	9. The Ups and Downs of Imprinting

**Hey everyone. Thought I'd go ahead and put up a new chapter today. I know you all love them and I just felt like writing today. So, in this chapter Seth takes Erin home from the bonfire. This is meant to be really cute. I expect to see lots of 'oohs' and 'awws' in the reviews you leave me. Well, I think I've kept you all from this chapter long enough. Read my two other stories 'With Wings Wide Open' and 'In the Blink of an Eye' if you haven't already. They are Maximum Ride fanfictions. Trust me, they are awesome. Okay, here's Chapter 9 for all of you awesome people out there in cyberspace.**

No one made a single sound while Billy told the legends. It was so quiet, you couldn't even hear anyone breath. Not even a single heart beat could be heard. I don't even think I heard a cricket chirp the whole time he talked. I told you the legends were captivating.

"Wow." Erin breathed when Billy was finished. The stories were especially breathtaking if you'd never heard them before. I vividly remembered my first time.

Erin turned to me, bathed in an orange glow from the fire. "That was amazing." There was a twinkle reflected in her eyes. Man, was she beautiful or what? I wanted nothing more than to hold her, but that wasn't what she wanted. I had to remember that.

Everyone was silent for another minute or two. No one wanted to admit that it was late and we should really be getting to bed, especially those of us who had jobs and school to look forward to in the morning.

Erin leaned back on her hands and looked up into the starry sky. "I really wish I didn't have to go to school. I'd rather stay here with you."

My heart lurched when she said that. Stay with me. I knew what she meant though: School sucked for her because, with the exception of me, the Cullens, and the pack, she had no friends.

"You know," I said, capturing her attention, "my mom could probably pull a few strings, get you into my high school. That way, you wouldn't feel so lonely." I offered. I'd do anything to make her happy.

She smiled. "Thanks Seth, but I couldn't do that." She sighed. "Besides, school's over at the end of the week. Just exams."

I nodded and said, "Yeah, but maybe next year." I studied her face carefully. She noticed and looked down, slightly embarrassed. I chuckled and said, "Come on. Just think about it."

She looked up and cocked her head to the side, this time she was the one studying me. She straightened her face and sighed, tucking her hair behind her ears. "Okay, only if it's not too much trouble." she decided, causing me to break into a huge grin.

"Only if what's not too much trouble?" Mom asked from behind. I must've been so happy that I didn't hear her come up.

I turned around and looked into her face, a faint smile danced across her features. She knew something was up. "Well, Erin and I were wondering if she could go to school on the rez. She doesn't really like Forks High and…" I trailed off.

My mother's grin became more pronounced. "Of course she can. I'd have to talk to some people, but they should have no problem with it."

Erin looked up and smiled. "Thanks Mrs. Cl- I mean Sue. I really appreciate this. Things haven't been easy."

My mother smiled back. "Think nothing of it honey." She turned and walked away, towards Charlie.

Erin stared at her retreating figure and said, "Your mom's nice. She reminds me of mine… a little."

I noticed tears glistening in her eyes, so I wrapped my arms around her. She went rather rigid, surprised I guess, so I leaned down and whispered, "This is okay, right? If it's not, I can let go." I also noticed she was really warm, but that was probably from the fact that we were sitting right in front of a blazing fire.

She was still for a minute and then slowly nodded. "It's fine." she whispered. I held her for a minute before she said, "What time is it?"

I checked my watch and said, "Almost midnight. Need a ride home?"

She was hesitant for a moment but then said, "Yeah. I guess I do. No sense in walking."

I let go of her slowly, reluctantly, and walked her into the house so she could get her bag. I waited in the hall for her and a moment later she returned, book bag in hand. We walked outside and I noticed a slight chill in the air.

"Need a jacket?" I asked Erin, seeing as she wasn't wearing one. "It's kinda cold."

She shrugged and shook her head. "I'm fine. Really Seth. Don't worry so much."

The fact that she wasn't even the slightest bit cold, while everyone else had jackets on and were close to at least one werewolf, worried me, but she had said everything was fine.

We walked over to Jacob who was arguing with Billy over something. Whatever it was, they stopped as soon as they noticed us.

"Erin needs a ride home." I told Jacob.

He rolled his eyes at us, clearly annoyed. "What am I? Her personal chauffeur?"

I nodded and said, "Unless you'd like me to use your car."

He groaned. "You know that's the last thing I'd ever do. It even comes after 'Get my legs chewed off by an alligator' on my list." He pulled his keys out of his pocket and turned to Billy. "You can get a ride home right?"

Billy nodded. "Don't you worry about me." He turned to Erin, smiling. "I hope I'll be seeing more of you around here."

She nodded. "Sue's trying to get me enrolled in the school up here. Forks High isn't working out."

Billy smiled. "Well that's too bad, but I'm sure you'll enjoy it here just fine." He sighed and said, "Well I won't keep you." and rolled off towards Mom, probably asking for a ride home.

We walked to Jake's car and climbed in silently. I guess none of us had very much to say. Jacob pulled out of in front of my house and started driving.

"So, where do you live exactly?" Jacob asked Erin after a few minutes.

She yawned hugely and said, "Uh… 362 Vance Avenue. Do you know where that is?"

Jacob nodded. "Yeah, I know the way."

We fell silent again. Erin was next to me in the back seat, about ready to doze off and I stared out the window at the passing scenery.

After about five minutes, I felt Erin's head fall on my shoulder. I turned my head to look at her. She was asleep, probably dreaming about werewolves or who-knows-what. I smiled a little and wrapped my arm around her. A moan escaped her lips, but she didn't move.

I noticed Jacob was peeking at me through his mirror, but I really couldn't have cared less. I was about the happiest person alive at that moment. I stroked her hair and kissed her forehead gently. "I love you." I whispered, knowing she hadn't heard.

Jacob rolled his eyes. "You know, it might've been better to tell her that when she was awake."

I shook my head. "No, it's better this way. She didn't hear me say it, but I told her anyway. I had to tell her, just once."

Jacob rolled his eyes at me again. "Whatever."

I sighed and placed my hand on top of Erin's and got a shock. She was warm, really warm. Was she getting sick?

"Jake, I'm worried." I announced. "Erin's really warm. I think she might be sick or something."

Jacob snorted with laughter. "Seth, has it occurred to you that she might be warm 'cause you have your arms around her and you have a body temperature of like 107 degrees?"

I thought about that and breathed a sigh of relief. "You're right Jake. That's all it is. She's fine."

Jacob stifled a laugh and we were quiet the rest of the drive to Erin's house. There was no noise in the car except for Erin's breathing. Music to my ears. It was so quiet that if I listened closely enough I could even hear her heart beat faintly.

Soon, Jacob came to a stop in front of a two story house. He squinted out the window at the mailbox. "Yup, this is the place. You better wake her up Seth."

I nodded and nudged Erin with my elbow. She stirred, but made no other sign of life. "Erin, wake up." I whispered, shaking her gently, trying to rouse her.

Her eyes cracked open and she seemed surprised to be laying on me. "Seth?" she asked, sleepily as she sat up, pushing her glasses back on her nose. "Where are we?" She let out a yawn and stretched.

"You're home. You fell asleep." I informed her. I smiled a little, thinking about kissing her forehead. It had been nice. I wished I could do it more often, but no. I wouldn't do anything else unless she asked. I just had to do it once.

She nodded and picked up her bag. "Thanks for the ride. And thanks for inviting me. I had a nice time." She gave me a small smile and I returned it.

"No prob." I told her. "I love being around you." I said, wondering about the next time I'd see her.

Jacob laughed. "That's an understatement don't you think Seth?" he asked me, smirking. Erin looked confused so he said, "Imprinters can't stand to be away from their imprintee for too long. Even a day's hard."

She looked at me and I nodded sheepishly. "Yeah. So, can we do something after school tomorrow?"

She looked in my eyes and nodded. "How 'bout you call me?" I nodded back and then she added, "If you want, you can call as soon as you get home."

"Yeah, that'd be great." I said, happily.

She smiled and opened the car door. "Bye Seth." she said, lingering for a moment, looking at me. Then she looked away and added, "See ya Jake." as she slammed the door shut.

I watched her as she ran to the front of the house, pulled the door open slowly, gave a quick glance back at the car, and disappeared inside.

I sighed and sat back in my seat. "Step on it Jake."

He rolled his eyes. "Just for that, I'm gonna go extra, extra slow." he joked, but pulled out anyway, going at a nice, sorta fast pace.

We were at my house in record time. I grabbed the phone from off the coffee table and made a mad dash to my room. I flopped down on my bed and began dialing Erin's number (I knew it by heart.).

The phone rang a few times before someone picked up. What was strange was that I didn't hear anything except a muffled sound. It really freaked me out and I began to worry. "Erin? Erin you there?" I asked, panicking a little.

I heard a sniffle and a voice quavered, "Yeah Seth… fine. Everything… fine." I heard another sniffle.

Fine my eye. "Erin, are you crying?" I asked, trying to sound as comforting as possible. What had happened?

I heard her sniffle and take in a shuddering breath. "I told you I'm fine. It's just that… my uncle…"

"What happened?" I asked, getting madder and madder by the second.

"No, no" she said hastily. "Everything's okay." I heard her sniffle again. "He just got mad that I came home so late. He thought it'd be sooner. I shoulda called I guess." Another sniffle. "I'm grounded for the rest of the week."

My heart sank. A whole week? An entire week from my Erin? Yeah, I considered her mine even though she wasn't my girlfriend. Could I handle a week away from her? I supposed I had to. I supposed I just had to suck it up.

"You okay Seth?" she asked. "I think you're taking this harder than me and," sniffle, "I'm the one who's being punished."

I shook my head. "I'm being punished too. I can't see you for a whole week."

She gave a weak chuckle at that and then sighed. "I better go. If my uncle catches me on the phone I'll be grounded even longer."

I sighed and said, "Don't want that."

"Well, bye."

"Bye." I said, glad that I finally got to tell her this time.

I set the phone down on my bedside table. A week. An entire week. What was I going to do for an entire week? I groaned and put my pillow over my head. Sometimes imprinting was a pain in the butt. But if it wasn't for imprinting, I wouldn't know Erin. I guess, like everything, it has it's ups and downs.

**Okay, how was that? I hope you enjoyed. No idea when the next update will be. Soon I hope. Review. See ya!**


	10. Awkwardness

**Okay guys, time for another chapter. I'm glad you all liked my last one so much. I guarantee that my story is going to leave you in absolute shock by the time I'm finished. I might make a sequel for all I know. We'll just have to see. Okay, this chapter is in Seth's POV. I promise, the next one will be for Erin. Anyway, check out my other two fanfictions, 'With Wings Wide Open' and 'In the Blink of an Eye'. I'm sure you'll love them almost as much as you love this story. Or, at least you will if you like Maximum Ride. Okay, on with this amazing, wonderful chapter of mine. I am 100% positive that you will absolutely love it. Enjoy!**

The week that Erin was grounded was the single most agonizingly painful, longest, miserable, lonely time of my life. I never felt so… empty. And just when I had started going back to normal too.

School was probably the greatest time I had that week. That's not saying much. With the upcoming exams looming over my head, during school I didn't have the time to think about Erin. Yeah, she came into my thoughts, but I didn't have much time to dwell on her.

Lunch was hard though. I had to see Collin with Scout, not to mention the other countless couples surrounding me. It seemed as if almost everyone in the whole school had someone to hold onto. It was difficult. I had actually taken to eating my lunch in some abandoned classroom to avoid people.

After school was a whole other story though. Since exams were coming up, I had no homework to distract me. I had hours upon hours of sheer nothingness to think about Erin, her perfect face, her smile, her laugh. I thought it was going to rip me apart. I thought I was going to die. I assure you, I am not exaggerating any of this.

Eventually, I started following her home from school (as a wolf of course). I would run through the woods from La Push to Forks High, wait for her to leave, and then run through the woods to her house.

I spent quite a bit of time after school just sitting in the woods at the back of her house, looking up into her bedroom window. I assumed she had a window seat, because she would sit in her window and look out into the woods. I wondered if she knew I was there or if she was just hoping I was. Either way, whenever she was at the window she had a pad of paper and a pencil in her hand and ear buds in her ears. I could see her mouthing lyrics to songs, but it was too far away to tell what she was singing.

Jacob wasn't being too helpful through all of this. He tried though. During one of his many pep talks he told me that it could've been much worse. He said that her uncle could have forbidden her to see me again. Bella had shot daggers at him and Nessie whacked him upside the head. They knew that that thought was going to bother me in the middle of the night.

It had. I was plagued by dreams of her crying, telling me she was never allowed to speak to me again. Always after those dreams, I woke up to find that tears had fallen from my eyes. I could never let that horrible nightmare come true. I swore to the heavens above that she would never be late getting home again if it kept her from being grounded and from me not being able to talk to her.

Yes, that week was the absolute worst. It was horrendous, but it was soon over. I awoke on the day of Erin's ungrounding happier than I think I ever had. Earlier than I ever had too. The sun hadn't even risen. And it was Monday, the first day of summer. I should have still been asleep. Perhaps long ago I would have. But now, I had an imprint whom I hadn't spent time with for a whole week. I was keyed up. I was like a six year old on a sugar high from a huge bucket full of Halloween candy.

As soon as I woke up, I ran to the bathroom to take a shower. When I finished, I ran back to my room to get dressed.

I never used to care what I wore. I hated shopping, absolutely loathed it. When I became a werewolf, I cared even less about clothes. Having a constant body temperature of 107 I found that I never needed to wear a shirt. Also, with the spontaneous bursting into a wolf I usually just wore some old pants, expendable things that my mother wouldn't kill me over when they burst into shreds as I phased.

But all of that seemed to change when I imprinted on Erin. I wanted to look nice for her. She always looked so nice, even though she insisted that she had had those clothes for a very long time.

I must have tried on every outfit in my closet that morning. I actually don't have a lot of clothes to tell the truth. I finally settled on a pair of jeans and a dark green polo shirt that Alice had gotten me for Christmas. There. That was nice enough. I hoped.

I combed my hair and looked at the clock. It was only eight. Seriously? My mom wasn't going to let me go over to Erin's until at least ten. It was a 'more acceptable' time to be awake.

I sighed and laid down on my bed for an hour just staring at the ceiling. As I lay there, the minutes ticking by one by one, I began to worry. What if Erin decided that she didn't want to be friends with me? I mean, it seemed that since she started hanging out with me she was always in trouble for something.

Well, only one way to find out.

I walked into the kitchen were my mom was about to get started cooking breakfast. She was digging in the cabinets, looking for things to cook up. She must have heard me come in because she turned around and smiled warmly at me.

"Ah yes." she said, eyeing my outfit. "Today you can go see Erin. I was wondering why you got up so early this morning. I had forgotten."

I nodded. "Yeah, I don't know what we're gonna do though." _I don't even know if she'll wanna speak to me._

Mom got a look on her face that told me she had an idea. "Why don't you bring her over here for breakfast?"

I shrugged. "I guess that'll be fine. Then maybe we'll go visit the Cullens or something."

My mom nodded. "Or you could go to the beach if it's nice out. See, there are plenty of things to do today."

I sighed, "Well I'm gonna go then." My mom nodded and turned back to the cabinets, so I walked into the hallway, laced up my black converses, and headed out the door.

The morning was cool and there was a light mist hanging in the air. Everything was so quiet and peaceful, just the way I liked it. The only signs of life were the adults headed to work and the little kids playing in their yards, excited that it was finally summer.

I walked along, kicking rocks and things that were in my path. I couldn't get that thought I had earlier out of my head. I kept thinking that I'd show up at Erin's house and have her, or her uncle, slam the door in my face. I must have been deep in thought about that, because I almost walked right past her house.

I noticed that her uncle's car wasn't in the driveway and I felt relieved. The garage door was wide open, so I could also see that the car wasn't parked in there. I walked up her driveway and rang the doorbell. I heard her thunder down the stairs and moments later the door swung open.

"Seth?" she asked, the complete shock showing on her face. I must have caught her at a bad time because she was wearing a pair of blue flannel pajama bottoms with monkey heads on them and a gray t-shirt. Her hair was up in a bun, but pieces were falling out.

"Hi." I said, sheepishly. "Did I wake you up?"

She shook her head. "Nah, I was already up. You just surprised me, that's all. I didn't expect to see you so soon."

I shrugged, "Well today's the day you're off grounding, so I thought I'd pop by." I paused and said, "Jacob wasn't exaggerating when he was talking about that whole 'imprinter can't stand to be away from the imprintee' thing. I missed you."

She smiled and said, "Well, I missed you too." She looked over her shoulder and said, "You wanna come in? We could watch some TV or something. I got some cereal we could eat."

I shook my head, declining the offer. "My mom actually wanted me to invite you over for breakfast. Then I figured we'd go visit with the Cullens or maybe go to the beach or something." I paused and said, "But we can do whatever you want. I'm cool with anything. It's just that Mom wants to see you too. She really likes you."

She smirked and rocked back on her heels, teasing me. "Well…" she said slowly, "I really wanted to watch TV today. But, I guess your plan is good too." She stopped rocking. "Lemme change."

I grabbed her arm as she turned towards the door. "We don't have a lotta time. The food might be gone before we get there. Word to the wise: Never get between Charlie and my mom's homemade pancakes." I smirked at her and said, "Besides, you look… beautiful. Just the way you are."

Her face tinged pink and she looked at the ground, mumbling, "I'm in pajamas."

I chuckled and said, "So? You'll always be beautiful to me." Where in the heck did that come from? This imprinting thing was really starting to freak me out. I sounded like… Edward. And Jacob. Oh boy.

Erin looked up at me, smiling softly. "Thanks Seth. Lemme get some shoes." She ducked into the house for a second and came out wear a pair of black flip-flops. "Okay. Let's get going."

We walked along in silence, my hand lingering near hers. We were walking pretty close to each other. I kept wanting to say something, but I'd look at her face and then I'd just forget what I wanted to say. Totally unlike me.

"You know," Erin began, breaking the ice, "you are really lucky."

"How so?" I asked, being careful not to look directly into her eyes. The last thing I needed was to start stuttering and tripping over words.

She folded her arms and said, "Brian…" she noted my confused face, "my uncle, just left, like, fifteen minutes before you showed up."

I frowned. "How does that make me lucky?"

She quickly turned her head to face the ground and muttered, "He's not a people person. Would've interrogated you."

I nodded and said, "Oh. Then I guess I am lucky." I fell silent again. Why was it so hard talking to her? I loved her so… Oh. That was the problem. I loved her and she just wanted to be friends so everything was awkward. Well, that sucked.

I noticed her looking at me from out of the corner of my eye. What was she thinking? I could always ask Edward, but he probably wouldn't tell me.

We got to my house to find my mother, slightly disheveled, waving two silver, rectangular things at me.

"Mom?" I asked, walking up to her, Erin not far behind me. "What happened?"

"The whole pack just blew through here." she said. "You'd think they'd all be sleeping, but no." She shoved the packages in her hand at me. I realized they were pop-tarts. "I almost lost these for you two. Paul kept eyeing them."

I patted her on the shoulder. "It's ok. Jake's not still here by any chance is he?"

She shook her head. "You just missed him. He left with them." She shook her head and said, "But if you need a ride to the Cullens, Charlie's about to head out for work. He'll drop you off."

I nodded. "Okay Mom. We'll wait." I sat down on the porch swing and Erin sat next to me.

Mom walked back in the house and I handed Erin her pop-tart, opening mine. Smores. My mom was amazing. She probably almost lost her arm over these. And Paul probably almost lost his head trying to get them. That would explain why no one stuck around.

Erin looked up at me and asked, "Why can't you drive? You're seventeen right?"

I sighed and nodded. "Yeah, but we can't afford another car. The Cullens tried to give me one for Christmas, but I wouldn't take it. Mom would've killed me if I had and I wouldn't have felt right about it even though, technically, they are family."

"Oh." she said, taking a bite of pop-tart. "I know how that is."

I looked at her face and laughed. "You have chocolate on your face."

She rubbed at her mouth, but none of the chocolate came off. "Did I get it?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No still there." I leaned close to her. "Lemme get it." I wiped around her mouth with my thumb, feeling her soft skin. I was so close that if I looked up, I could see every last eyelash. I managed to get the chocolate off, but I was transfixed. I couldn't move. I didn't want to move.

"Uh… Seth?" she asked.

"Huh?"

"Uh… Charlie's out here."

"Huh?" Charlie? "Oh." I said, pulling myself away. I looked at her and said, "Sorry. I got it."

She nodded and said, "It's okay."

"Hey!" Charlie shouted. "I gotta get to work. If you want me to give you a lift then come on." He walked off to his police car and Erin and I jumped up quickly.

We climbed in and Charlie drove. If you thought the walk to my house had been awkward then you should've been in that car. It was ten times worse. Why had I just sat there with my hand on her face like a dummy? And why did Charlie have to see? I kept my face to my window and didn't say a word until we were safely at the Cullens.

Soon, we reached the Cullens house and climbed out. "Thanks Charlie. See you later." I mumbled, shutting the door.

Erin and I walked to the door and opened it, being immediately tackled by Nessie.

"Alice couldn't see anything so I figured some member of the pack was coming. I hoped it was Jacob but I'm glad to see you guys too." Nessie said, letting us inside. "Seth and Erin are here!" she called up the stairs.

In a flash, Alice appeared with a look of disgust on her face. She was studying Erin's outfit. "Erin dear, usually your outfits are so cute. I assume Seth dragged you out of bed."

She shook her head. "No, but he wouldn't let me change."

Alice rolled her eyes at me. "Well, this'll never do." She grabbed Erin's arm, leading her up the stairs. "Ugh. You reek." she noted. "You smell like those wolves. How long have you been with Seth today?"

"Half an hour!" I shouted at her. They had reached the top of the stairs and I couldn't see them anymore.

But when I spoke, Alice peeked around the corner. "A half hour? You didn't run into another member of the pack?" I shook my head and she asked, "Did you hug her?" I shook my head again. "Odd." she said and then disappeared.

"I'm gonna make sure Erin's okay." Nessie said, startling me. I had forgotten she was there. "Daddy's in there." She told me, pointing to the dining room. She then ran up the stairs, leaving me alone.

I decided to go sit with Edward, so I made my way to the dining room. Edward was looking at the newspaper, doing the crossword. He didn't even look up when I walked in.

"Hullo Seth." he said pleasantly as I sat down across from him. "Have a nice breakfast?" he asked, smirking. He had obviously just been poking around in my brain.

"What do you think?" I asked, sarcastically.

"Well, I'm sure it was better than the car ride over here." he stated, folding up the paper. "Awkward was it?"

I sighed. "I just…" I didn't know what to say.

"You know, you don't have to try so hard, Seth. She likes you just the way you are."

"Not in the way I want though." I grumbled.

Edward said nothing, but stared at me. Eventually he said, "She's coming downstairs. Alice wanted to shove her in a dress, but Nessie convinced her to do something simple."

Sure enough, I heard three sets of footsteps on the stairs. I looked around the corner and saw that Nessie and Alice were standing in front of Erin. They were keeping me from seeing her.

"Well," Alice said, standing in the doorway. "I must say she's one of my best." She stepped out of the way and Erin walked into view.

My jaw dropped to the ground. The first thing I noticed was that Erin's glasses were gone. Alice had put a pair of small silver hoops in her ears and she had also put a little make up on her. She was wearing a teal long sleeve shirt with a dark grey undershirt poking out, a pair of dark denim skinny jeans, and a pair of black flats. She was gorgeous. Well, more gorgeous than usual.

"You're drooling Seth." Nessie giggled in a sing song voice.

I closed my mouth and whispered, "Wow."

Erin smiled shyly and said, "Thanks."

"Yes, well I couldn't completely get rid of the wolf smell for some reason. Other than that… she's perfect." Alice said, grinning.

I nodded slowly, stunned. Alice was right. She was perfect. Not that she wasn't before. It was just that she looked so much more… wow.

"Contacts?" I asked, unsure of what else to say.

She shook her head no. "I actually don't need the glasses. I just wear them 'cause I think they're cool."

I stared at her for a while before Edward said, "Well Alice, you certainly did a good job. Seth's having a harder time looking away from Erin than usual." I would've hit him, but it wouldn't have done any good. He was a vampire.

I could've stared at Erin all day, maybe for the rest of my life, but I was brought out of my trance by the front door swinging open and slamming shut.

Edward closed his eyes, groaning. "Jacob's here." he said, disgusted.

"Nessie!" I heard Jacob shout and then I saw him run at her. He scooped her up into his arms and she squealed in delight.

"Jacob, I'm so happy to see you." she said, smiling.

"I'm happy to see you too." Edward cleared his throat and Jacob noticed the rest of us. He sat Nessie down and said, "Oh, hey Seth. Erin." He did a double take. "Erin? Wow. What did Alice do to you?"

Alice rolled her eyes. "She showed up in pajamas. Seth dragged her out of bed." She shook her head and said, "What are you doing over here anyways? Aren't you usually asleep at this time?"

He nodded. "Usually, but today's the first day of summer. The pack's celebrating by taking our imprints bowling. I came to see if it was okay with Bells."

Edward frowned and said, "Bella isn't here. She went hunting with Rose and Emmett." It didn't look like he was going to let Nessie go.

I guess Nessie thought the same thing because she said, "Please Dad. Let me go. Seth and Erin'll be there. Please."

Edward sighed and turned to me and Erin, "Don't let her out of your sight."

Nessie tackled Edward. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you." She turned to Jacob, "So when are we leaving?"

Jacob smiled and said, "Well, we're gonna get food and then some of the guys have to pick up their imprints and we're gonna be bowling for a while. I'd say we'd start bowling at around five maybe. We're leaving in an hour."

"Ooh goodie." Nessie said.

Great. Pack bowling. More awkwardness with Erin. Maybe I should try Edward's advice and just not try so hard. Just be myself. Well, I had nothing to lose. Well, nothing to lose except Erin. So, in other words, I had everything to lose.

**Well, I'm gonna try to update soon. See you guys later.**


	11. Decisions, Decisions

**Hey guys! Guess what today is? If you guessed that it's the day I'm updating my fanfiction, then you are partially right. It's also my birthday! How old am I you may ask. Well, that's none of your business. If you wanna wish me a happy birthday, leave it in a nice, long review. That will be the greatest present I get. Unless someone gets me a car, which I highly doubt. Okay, back to business. In this chapter I take you on a lovely pack bowling trip. Yay! Paul and a ten pound ball that he can throw at people if he gets mad! What fun! Feel free to laugh. It was meant to be funny. Obviously. Anyway, this is in Erin's POV. Tons of things happen. I shall say no more. On with the chapter.**

Well, the dinner or lunch, whatever you want to call it, with the pack was… interesting. Nessie and I barely got to eat our own food. All I had was some macaroni and cheese and a chicken tender before they inhaled the rest. Of course Seth didn't take any and for that I was grateful. Nessie had made the unfortunate mistake of accompanying me to the bathroom and came back to find that Paul had eaten all of her chocolate cake, one of the few human foods she really enjoyed.

It was also pretty awkward. I was situated between Seth and Nessie with Jacob on her other side. Talk about uncomfortable.

Earlier, at the Cullens, I had been wondering why things between me and Seth were so weird. Edward chose that moment to pop into my head.

_Erin, you know Seth loves you right? _He had asked.

I had sighed inwardly and said, _Yeah, I know. Soul mates and all that. Can we just get off this subject? How are you today Edward?_

_Nice try. I can see you're confused about how you feel towards him. You're not sure if you want to stay 'just friends' or turn into more._

_I just… don't wanna think about it. If I get hurt… if something happens…_

_Ah. I see. You don't want anything to happen to him, like your parents. Do you really blame yourself for that?_

_If I hadn't… I asked them to go out. It was their anniversary. The weather was bad. They had reservations. I made them go._

_Erin, that's too much of a burden to bear._

_Please, don't make me think about this anymore._

And he didn't. But he did leave me with a lot to think about.

I remembered when my best friend, Kendra, and I had decided to make our perfect boyfriend in the sixth grade at a sleepover. I had wanted someone tall (because I was so short), preferably with short, dark hair. I had always been a sucker for brown eyes and I still was. I also wanted someone funny, cute, sweet, kind, and who would care for me and listen to me. That described Seth perfectly.

Well… we were soul mates.

But could I date him? The friendship was perfect. Awkward maybe, but otherwise fine. Comfortable. Natural. Did I want more? I knew Seth did, but he'd do whatever I wanted.

And I was still thinking about it when we got to the bowling alley.

I got out of Jacob's car and started to walk in to the building. I felt someone grab my arm and pull me over to the side.

It was Seth. "Erin?" he asked and I looked into his brown eyes. Those eyes, so full of love and concern, always managed to make me melt.

"Uh, yeah?" I asked, quickly gazing at the ground.

"You okay? You seem off. I can ask Jake to take you home if you want."

"No." I said, perhaps a little too quickly. "I'm fine. Just a little tired. I was watching a House marathon last night. Didn't go to sleep 'till late." I looked into his eyes and hastily said, "Seriously Seth. I'll perk right up when we start bowling."

He studied my face and, after a while, said, "If you're sure."

I nodded. "Positive. Come on. They're probably wondering where we are." I walked towards the bowling alley, Seth following into step behind me.

It was loud, noisy, and a little crowded. I scanned the room for a familiar face and was relieved when I saw Nessie waving us over. I headed in her direction, Seth still at my heels.

"Where were you two?" Nessie asked, raising an eyebrow.

Not wanting her to get any ideas, I said, "Talking. Just talking." I noticed her skeptical expression and added, "I swear."

Before Nessie could speak, Paul shouted, "Ow! Fuck it Brady! That was my foot!" I looked over and Brady was staring open mouthed and Paul was hopping on one foot, waving his fist in the air, with a dark green bowling ball rolling slowly away.

"Huh?" Brady asked, in a daze. "Sorry Paul." He walked over to me and I heard a low growl rise in Seth's throat. Oh no. The last thing I needed today was a pack fight.

Brady stared me up and down and let out a loud, low, long whistle. "Shoot. What happened to you?"

Seth started growling a little louder and I figured, what with his heightened hearing, Brady knew it.

"Alice." I said simply. Then I noticed Scout and Collin sitting down, putting on their shoes, so I walked in their direction, Seth still following me, his growling had ceased.

When Scout noticed me she let out a squeal. "Oh my goodness! You look so pretty. Doesn't she Seth?"

Seth, who was now standing next to me, smiled slightly. "Beautiful." he whispered, almost inaudibly.

My heart raced. Sure, I'd heard him call me that before, but that didn't mean I was used to it or anything. The only guy who ever called me that before was my dad and he doesn't really count.

Collin nudged Scout and said, "I don't think he's the only one who thinks so. It seems to me that Brady has a crush."

Seth set his jaw and snarled, "Yeah well he can get his own imprint."

Scout and I exchanged worried glances. This was so unlike Seth. Maybe this hadn't been such a great idea. I honestly think that Seth and I wouldn't have been there if Nessie had been allowed to go without us.

Almost as if she knew I was thinking about her, Nessie appeared at my side, holding two pairs of bowling shoes. "Here. Jacob and I got them for you guys." she said, handing a pair to me and another one to Seth.

We laced them up and then I asked, "So when are we gonna get started?"

"As soon as Sam and Emily get here." Collin said. Then he frowned and said, "Huh? Embry and Leah aren't supposed to be here."

Seth and I turned around and sure enough we saw them walking up. Leah didn't look too happy though.

"Sam and Emily couldn't make it." Embry said before we even opened our mouths. "He sent us over here instead. Quil and Claire aren't comin' either. Claire's got a tummy ache."

Leah added, "Jared and Kim are no shows too. I didn't ask what was going on. Something about a picnic. I dunno."

Jacob shrugged and said, "Well let's get bowling." He rubbed his hands together. "How're we setting up teams?"

Scout grinned mischievously and said, "Imprints against werewolves."

"Ah come on!" Seth groaned. "That's not fair… for Embry and Leah. No imprints remember?"

Leah sent her brother an evil glare and growled, "I'll bowl with the imprints. Embry can bowl with you clowns." She smirked, "Or are you scared Sethie? Scared you're gonna lose?"

"You are so on… Lee-lee." he said, causing Leah to whack him upside the head and snarl at him. What was up with that?

"Don't call me that!" she practically yelled at him. "Don't you ever call me that!"

I wanted to jump in and protect Seth, but I knew he could handle himself. He was a werewolf after all. Instead, I spoke up. "I say we get to bowling."

Me, Nessie, Scout, Rachel (who had shown up just before Embry and Leah did), and Leah walked over to one lane and grabbed a few bowling balls. I choose a lilac colored one. What? I like lilac and it was only eight pounds, my kinda ball.

Seth, Jacob, Collin, Paul, and Embry walked over to the lane next to us. That left Brady alone. I had almost forgotten about him.

He shrugged and said, "Guess I'll keep score on the machine thing." He sat down and started typing things into the machine. When he was finished, mine and Seth's names appeared on screen. "You two're up first."

I grabbed my ball and walked to the edge of the lane. I looked over at Seth and said, "Try not to hurt yourself."

He chuckled and said, "We'll see about that."

I rolled my ball down the lane and held my breath. I heard it crash into the pins. I got a strike! I looked over at Seth's lane. He only hit seven.

Paul yelled, "Seth, don't let her win! I don't care if you're hopelessly in love with her or not! If we loose I'll kill you!"

Seth turned to him and said, "It was a lucky shot. It won't happen again."

But it did happen again. And again. And again. The imprints, and Leah, were dominating. I swear, almost every ball Leah, Nessie, and I hit was a strike and Rachel and Scout weren't doing too shabby either. We completely crushed the guys. And you know what, I honestly think they were trying.

"We have a winner!" Brady cheered in a game show host voice. "Give it up for the imprints! Oh yeah, and Leah too."

Of course we all squealed very loudly and jumped up and down, even Leah. The guys weren't too sore about losing really. A little bummed by the fact that the big bad werewolves got beaten by three human girls, a half-vampire, and _one _werewolf, but otherwise not too bad.

"That was pretty awesome." Seth admitted, pulling me into a hug.

I ignored my quickened heart rate and said, "Not bad for a weak human girl huh?"

Seth chuckled and said, "Na. I guess not." He then let go of me very quickly, realizing how very far out of the 'friends' zone that had been. I must say, that made me a little upset.

"Yo!" Jake yelled at us. "Time to go."

We followed him and Nessie to the parking lot and I was very surprised to see Edward parked right next to us. He motioned for Nessie to come and get in with him.

She groaned. "See you later guys. Bye Jake." She gave him a quick hug and headed off. Edward waved good bye to me and Seth and glared at Jacob. Lovely. More awkwardness. It must have been some kind of epidemic.

As Edward drove off I stared at Jake's car and decided that I suddenly felt like walking home. I told Seth and he decided he'd join me. I had actually wanted to be alone so I could think, but I knew that was probably not an option.

Jacob drove off and we set out for my house.

Of course, neither of us said anything for the longest time. I was too busy thinking and Seth probably noticed that I was preoccupied and decided not to bother me. Why did he have to be the single sweetest guy on Earth?

Why wasn't this simple? Why couldn't I just decide if I wanted to be with Seth or not? Why was it so freaking difficult? Why couldn't I just make a decision? Why? Why? Why?

I looked up at him. He was… amazing. Why couldn't I just say yes? It would be so easy. He'd always love me and protect me. I'd never be lonely. It'd be just like the way it was now except with kissing and hand holding and stuff of that nature. Seth would kill for me. He had said so himself.

Was that why I couldn't say yes? Was it because I didn't want him getting hurt, or hurting someone else, because of me?

Or was it purely selfish? Was it just because I'd never had a boyfriend before and I wanted more than one in my life? Was it because I didn't want Seth to tie me down?

Did I really love him anyways? Was I in love with Seth Clearwater, my best friend in the entire world (even though I'd only known him for around two weeks)? What was love anyways? Wasn't it when you stopped living for yourself and gave everything up for the other person? When you'd do anything for that person?

"Erin?" Seth asked, yanking me out of my thoughts. "You okay?"

I noticed a bench and said, "I got a headache. Mind if we sit down for a minute?"

Seth shook his head and we walked over to the bench. I sat down and he sat next to me. I thought of something to say. Something I had to say.

"Seth?" I asked getting his attention. "Is it hard? You know, just being my friend?"

He sighed and said, "It's not easy. Manageable though." He looked me dead in the eye. "It's what you want. You know I'll do anything for you."

I took in a shaky breath. "But, it's not what you want. I don't want you to be miserable because of me."

"But I'm not-"

I interrupted his protest. "Yes you are. I can see that. I don't want you to feel that way. Seth, you are the best friend I've ever had. But it can't go on like this." _Deep breath and take the plunge. Like Mom said._

Before I could fully comprehend what I was doing (and before Seth could either from the look on his face) I pressed my lips to his, kissing him.

It was a fiery explosion of… No, it was… it was… I have no idea how to describe that kiss. It just felt absolutely right. Like the whole world was perfect and full of smiles and rainbows. Like… I had just kissed my soul mate.

I pulled away from him, tucking my hair behind my ears. I took in a few deep breaths.

"You're sure this is what you want?" Seth asked, bringing his face back to mine. "I don't want you to do anything you don't want to. Is this okay?"

"Seth Clearwater, I love you." I told him and I meant it. I was honestly in love with him. I certainly did not expect that when he had knocked me over two weeks ago. I had felt a certain pull towards him, that much I knew. I just didn't quite know what it was. I just dismissed it to the fact that I was desperate for friendship. But no. I had loved him. Even then.

"I love you too." he whispered before he kissed me again. It was heaven on Earth.

**Yes, you may squeal. I thought it was high time I got those two together. Anyway, as I said before, a nice long review would be loved. See ya'll later.**


	12. Talking

**Hey guys. Thank you all so much for the reviews you left me on my birthday. I really loved them They made my birthday even more awesome. (In case you're wondering, I did not get a car.) Okay, so I'm really glad you loved that chapter. I really loved writing it, it was so much fun. It was probably one of the best things I've ever written. Okay, so this chapter is in Seth's POV. So, on with the chapter.**

A sunny day in Forks was pretty rare, but that's the kind of day it was a week after Erin and I finally got together.

On that particularly marvelous day, I was sitting against a tree in Erin's yard feeling the happiest I'd ever felt in my entire life. Everything was absolutely perfect. Erin's head was in my lap, a grin on her face. She was obviously really happy too.

She picked a dandelion that was growing next to her and brought it to my lips. "Make a wish." she instructed me.

I laughed. "I have everything I could ever want. What could I possibly wish for?" I asked.

"How about that my uncle, Brian, doesn't show up? That wouldn't be good." she said, a little miffed.

I frowned and began absentmindedly stroking her hair. "Why don't you get along with your uncle? You don't seem to like him too much."

She sighed and brought the dandelion down. "Brian's not exactly the friendliest person in the world. He never was, but it got worse when my aunt, Jessica, died." She blew lightly on the dandelion and the seeds danced in the wind.

"When did that happen?" I asked.

"When I was five." she said, quietly. "I only met her once. The previous Christmas. She came up. Wasn't doing well. Cancer I think it was." She paused for a moment and said, "The first time I came to Forks was for the funeral. That was also the last time. Well, until my parents died."

I couldn't stand to see her so sad. It made me hurt inside. I bent down and kissed her gently on her forehead. "I'm so sorry." I whispered.

She sighed and managed a smile. "It's okay. My dad always said things happen for a reason. If my parents hadn't died then I'd have never had to come to Forks and then I wouldn't have met you."

I smiled too. "I suppose they do. I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't come to Forks."

Erin sighed again. "If I was in Astoria right now, I'd be getting ready for the party of the century."

"What do you mean?" I asked, curiously. I knew that if she really wanted to go I could always get her there. It'd just be a matter of asking Edward if I could borrow the Volvo. Or better yet, use the car the Cullens had bought for me.

"One of my best friends, Jamie Woods, always has this huge birthday party. Dancing and everything. She called me and asked if I could still make it. I told her that I probably couldn't. That I had other plans." She looked up at me and smiled. "Besides, parties aren't really my thing."

"Well, what would be happening at this party?" I asked. "I mean, if you never left Astoria."

She frowned, thinking. "I guess everyone would be dancing and I'd be sitting on Jamie's couch as usual. Jamie and Kendra would come up to me and say 'Just get up and ask someone to dance.'. Then I'd say, 'You both know I can't dance.'."

"Then what?" I asked, coaxing her.

"Well, this wouldn't have happened last year, but Jamie's older brother would probably ask me to dance. Jamie told me that Dylan had kind of a crush on me for a while and that he just admitted it. That's when I told her about you."

I smiled at that. "So, I take it that you wouldn't wanna go to the party then?" Before I thought she should have, but after that little tidbit of information, I decided against it.

She shook her head. "Nah. Like I said: I'm not much of a party person. I'm more of a 'sit in my room and read or draw' kind of person."

I chuckled. "And that's what I love about you. That and you really don't care what other people think about you."

She smiled and said, "Seth, you are sweet."

"That's what they tell me."

We sat in silence for a minute before I figured out something else we could talk about.

"Hey, Erin?" She looked up at me and I said, "Tell me a secret about you. Something you've never ever told anyone before."

She bit down on her lip an said, "Okay, you're probably going to think this is really weird, but on my eleventh birthday I cried because I didn't get a letter to Hogwarts. I bawled my eyes out."

I laughed. "Seriously? That's hilarious."

She smiled a bit and said, "Yeah I guess. But at the time I was angry at my parents for being muggles. Silly right?"

"Just a bit." I replied.

Suddenly, Erin jumped up. "Seth, I completely forgot. I have the drawing of you as a wolf up in my room. Lemme go get it." She looked up at the tree and said, "Mind giving me a boost?"

I shrugged my shoulders and stood up. "Sure." I laced my fingers together and she put one of her feet in them. I lifted her into the tree and she climbed up to her window. Moments later, she came down with a piece of paper in hand. She dropped out of the tree and took in a huge breath.

"Phew. Got it." She handed it to me and I was stunned.

It was me all right. It was me sitting in the woods behind her house. It was very good and detailed and just… wow.

"Erin, this is… amazing. It's really good." I told her, still looking at the picture.

She smiled shyly. "Thanks Seth. It didn't take me long. I could see you right outside my window the whole time I was grounded. I guess you weren't kidding about how you can't stand to be away from me."

I folded the picture up and stuck it in my pocket. "So, have you finished with the other one yet?" I asked.

She shook her head. "No, I still can't get your eyes right. I just can't draw them for some reason."

"Maybe I can help." I whispered, pulling her close to me. Her green eyes met my brown ones and I kissed her. It was exactly like the first time. An explosion of every good feeling in the world.

All too soon I needed air, so I pulled away from her slowly. I kept my eyes closed, savoring the moment. I was surprised when I heard Erin whisper, "I'm sorry."

I opened my eyes and said, "Sorry? About what?"

"I'm terrible at kissing."

I laughed, full of relief. "Erin, you aren't terrible at it. Just the opposite."

"Really?" she asked, skeptically. "You aren't just saying that?"

I shook my head. "No. Just relax okay. There is absolutely nothing wrong with you. You're perfect." She snorted at that so I said, "Well, perfect for me anyways."

"Why do you have to be so sweet?" she asked, punching me lightly on the arm. "It's impossible to hate you."

I was about to say something when, all of a sudden, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I groaned and pulled it out. It was a text from Jake. 'My house. Football. Bring Erin if you want.'

I asked Erin if she wanted to come and she smiled delightedly. "Yeah, sounds like fun. Nothing like watching you kick Jacob's butt again."

I laughed at that. "We'll see, we'll see."

She frowned. "So, how're we going to get there?"

Huh. That would be potentially problematic. I was trying to figure out a way to get there when I heard a car horn honk. I turned around and saw Bella driving Edward's Volvo with Nessie next to her in the front seat.

"Jacob figured you'd need a lift and since I was taking Nessie to visit anyways I told him I'd come by." Bella said, after she rolled down the window. Her eyes were starting to look a little dark, but I figured we'd be fine.

"Thanks Bella." I told her as I opened the door and let Erin slide in before me. "We really appreciate this."

Bella smiled. "Anytime Seth. We're family remember." She looked at Erin through her mirror and said, "And we consider you family too Erin. Especially with you being Seth's imprint."

She smiled and said, "Thanks Bella. I consider you family too."

From the front seat, Nessie impatiently huffed, "Mooom. Come on. I wanna see Jake. Can we go already? Please?"

Bella rolled her eyes and sighed. "Alright, alright. I'm going." She hit the gas and we were on our way.

**That may have been a tad bit boring, but I really wanted to have a scene of them just sitting around, talking. Yeah, this was a filler, but who really cares. It was cute and that's what matters. Okay, leave me a review. Updating soon. Bye.**


	13. Football

**Hey everyone. As you all probably know, my birthday was a little over a week ago. Well, I just got a present from my favorite cousin because she had to order it. I have the first ever custom Team Seth t-shirt. Or at least that I know of. Someone somewhere probably has one, but nobody I know does. So, yeah. Just thought I'd share that with you. Well, here's the football chapter. This one is sort of interesting. It might get you thinking. It's in Erin's POV. Anyway, here it is.**

"Brady! Over here! I'm open!" Seth shouted at Brady who had the ball. Brady nodded and sent it sailing straight for him. Jacob noticed and ran after Seth, but Seth managed to catch the ball before Jacob took him down.

"In!" I shouted. Yeah, they made me referee. I wanted to play, but Seth was afraid they'd hurt me. But it wasn't like it was Paul or Jared or Sam. It was just Jacob, Collin, Brady, Quil, Embry, and Seth.

"But Jacob's bigger than Sam. And Embry and Quil aren't exactly small either." Seth had protested when I asked to play.

So, purely to make him feel better, I had given up and agreed to be ref. I was itching to play though. I couldn't stand being on the sidelines. It was unnatural for me.

You see, I had grown up playing football and baseball with the neighborhood boys. A lot of these guys, including Dylan Woods, had gone on to play football in high school. I was not a fragile pixie, no matter how much I looked like one. I was a tomboy. I always had been. Oh sure, I liked clothes and shopping for clothes, but you'd never catch me in heels, dresses, or skirts. I'd rather die.

All of the popular cheerleader type girls I had gone to school with back in Astoria were jealous of me because I hung out with some of the guys on the football team, including their boyfriends. So, when I told Seth I had a lot of friends… well _really _I hadn't been lying. I did. They were just all guys except for Kendra and Jamie and this one girl in my art class, Kristi Bailey.

"Touchdown!" Jacob shouted, tossing the football on the ground. I heard Quil and Embry cheer and Seth, Collin, and Brady groan.

Oh. Right. I was supposed to be refereeing. Well, my bad.

"How are we losing to these idiots?" Brady complained loudly.

I could tell him that. For one thing, they were good and for another, Brady couldn't throw or catch worth crap.

"Hmm." Collin said, getting all sarcastic. "Well, let's think about that for a second Brady. Maybe it's because you suck!"

Seth shook his head and I laughed. Well, Collin was right. Brady did suck. A lot. I'm telling you, it was bad.

"Hey, is it my fault I'm more of the soccer type?" Brady asked, offended.

I shook my head. "Guys, you need me on this team. Brady, you can be the ref."

Seth's eyes went wide. "Oh no. I don't care if Brady makes us lose. There is no way you are playing. I'm not letting you get hurt."

"Seth, listen to me." I ordered. "I've played football with guys on the football team at Astoria High since we were six years old."

Seth shook his head. "I don't care. They weren't werewolves."

"Well, you're not either really." I said stating the fact.

He groaned. "Just a minor technicality. You're still not playing."

I walked right up to him, stood on my tip toes, and stared directly into his eyes, forcefully. "Oh yes I am. Now you put me in this game Seth Clearwater. Take Brady out now."

He searched my eyes and sighed, defeated. "Fine, but if anything happens-"

"It won't." I interrupted.

"Hey, you ladies done over there?" Jacob shouted. "Can we get back to our game now?"

I was gonna wipe that smirk off of Jake's face. That smug little smile would be gone when I was through with his sorry butt.

When he noticed I was walking onto the 'field' (It was actually Jacob's back yard.) he busted into laughter. "This is just too much." he chuckled. "You're so desperate you're getting Erin to play? That's rich."

Quil and Embry began laughing too and I said, "Oh we'll see who's laughing when I kick your sorry wolf butts."

Jacob's smirk became more pronounced. He was amused. Good. That meant he was in for the surprise of his life. "Bring it." he told me.

"Oh, I plan to." I challenged back. I was in the zone.

I crouched down in front of Jacob and Seth and Collin got behind me. I glanced at Seth and he looked at me, pleading to end this madness. Oh, I was going to end it all right.

"Fifteen. Thirty-seven. Nineteen. Hut, hut. Hike!" Jacob yelled, snapping the ball back to Quil.

I took off after him. I was aiming for a tackle. But then I saw a glint in Quil's eyes. He was going to toss it back to Jacob. I stopped short and sure enough he tossed it.

I ran after Jacob this time, my legs pumping as fast as they possibly could. I was going to drive him into the ground.

Jacob almost had his hands around the ball. I could faintly hear Collin cheering for me. I pile-drived Jacob into the ground before he could get a hold of the ball. I heard the breath leave his mouth. A nice '_oof'_.

"Out!" Brady shouted hoarsely. I supposed he had been cheering me on too.

I stood up and dusted myself off, happy at the dazed look on Jacob's face.

"That hurt." he said. Then he realized what he'd said. "That hurt? How is that even possible?"

Yeah. How was that possible? I was a weak human. He was a strong muscular werewolf/shape shifter. How could I hurt him? "Maybe it was just the way you fell. Or the force of the fall." I said, trying to come up with some logical explanation for what had just happened.

"Yeah, that's it." Jacob said, standing up. "That's all. The force of the fall. The tackle didn't hurt at all." But he still looked unsure.

"Erin!" Seth shouted, running over towards us, Collin, Embry, and Quil on his tail. "Erin, are you okay?" he asked, taking me in his arms.

"Relax Seth." I told him, still a little shaken up. "I'm fine. Really. I am."

Seth breathed a sigh of relief and kissed my forehead. "Thank goodness. What was I thinking? How could I let you play? I was being so stupid."

I pulled away from him. "Seth, I'm fine and we won. Chill out."

For a minute, Seth looked like he was about to protest. But then he looked into my eyes and sighed. "I guess you're right. I worry too much. It's just that-"

I silenced him with a look. "I know Seth. I know. And I should take that into more consideration. I'm just not used to someone fussing over me."

He nodded. "I'll try to relax more."

"And I'll try to be a little more careful."

A hoot of laughter ruined our moment. Brady was laughing in the distance, looking at something in his hand. Odd. You'd think I would've noticed that he hadn't been standing with us. I guess when Seth and I had been talking, the rest of the world just dematerialized. It had just been me and him.

"What's so funny?" Embry called to him. It looked like, whatever it was, he wanted in on it too.

Brady ran over to us, waving a piece of paper in his hand. I caught a glimpse of what was on it. My drawing of Seth. Well, this was going to be fun.

"Look at this." He showed the guys and Seth grabbed my hand. He was reassuring me. I actually thought that I would be the one reassuring him. And then it struck me. I was his imprint. His soul mate. He wouldn't care if they saw it. He'd only care if I cared.

_It's fine. _I thought and, somehow, I think he heard me.

Jacob and the others started laughing too. "Aww. So cute. It's little Sethie." Jacob crooned. "Aww. Erin loves little Sethie." He looked at Seth like he just realized something and said, "And little Seth's obviously been carrying it around in his pocket. How else would Brady have found it on the ground?"

I considered punching him, but after what had happened earlier I decided against it.

_It was the force of the fall. The force of the fall._

"Oh shut up Jacob. If Nessie did something like this for you-"

"Okay, okay." Jacobs interrupted me hurriedly. "Just having a little fun." He handed it back to Seth and then added, "It's not a bad drawing you know."

I took a deep breath. "Thanks I guess."

He shrugged. "Sure, sure. No prob." he said, casually brushing me off. I think I struck a nerve when I brought Nessie up. He hadn't seen her in a while. Bella had brought her only for a few minutes to get something from Charlie.

"So," I began, the corners of my mouth twitching into a smile. "Best two out of three?"

Jacob looked at me for a second and shook his head. "Nope. I know when I'm beaten."

I laughed and said, "Chicken."

"Sounds like a challenge to me Jake." Embry said, looking ready to roll. You could tell he wanted another game.

Jacob continued to shake his head. "Nope. I'm done. I say we go get something to eat and call it a day."

"Here, here." Collin and Quil said in unison.

"You're smart Jake." Seth said. "I wouldn't mess with this one."

Jacob sighed. "You have your hands full with that one Seth."

I looked at Seth who was smiling at me with his eyes filled to the brim with the utmost admiration and love. Something told me he didn't mind too much.

**Okay, that's it for this chapter. I don't know what I'm going to do next. They still have a whole summer. I'll think about this a little this week and try and gather some ideas. I should have something by Sunday. Well, see ya later.**


	14. Depressing Conversations

**Hey everyone. Sorry it's been a while. My weekend was really crazy. Crowded band bus and tons of mountain dew and monsters do not mix. (Long story. Don't ask.) Anyway, did you miss me? Good. I hoped you all really liked my last chapter. I got some pretty good reviews. Well, the last chapter was a football game with the younger members of the pack and Erin. Something weird happened between Erin and Jacob. Neither of them are sure of the meaning of what happened, but both are totally freaked out and trying to shake it off as an accident. Okay, so this chapter is in Erin's POV and the next one probably will be too. I'll let you know next week. It's a filler, but an interesting conversation takes place. So, here it goes. I hope you're ready for this one.**

It was about a week after I won the football game against Jacob. I'd been spending some time with Seth, but I hadn't heard from him at all that morning. It was three in the afternoon and my uncle had been ragging on me all morning. I had to get out of the house. Fast.

After I finished vacuuming the whole living room I hightailed it up the stairs and slammed my door before Brian could start yelling at me to do something else. I slipped out of my pj's and into a pair of Capri pants, a plain purple t-shirt, and my flip flops.

"Erin!" I heard Brian shout. "Erin get down here now!"

Crap. Time to make my escape. I opened my window and was met with a gust of cold, wet wind. Shoot. I hadn't realized it was raining.

"Erin!" my uncle barked. He sounded really ticked. Wonder what I had done wrong this time.

I ran to my closet, yanked my yellow jacket off the hanger, and ran back to the window. I took a deep breath and began to shimmy down the tree as fast as I could. I was doing pretty good, but when I got to the last branch, my hands slipped and I fell. Luckily, I ended up on my feet and unscathed. Not a single scrape. I dusted myself off and heard my uncle bellow my name again.

I started running as I possibly could, not knowing where I was headed, feeling like I was flying. I could feel adrenaline pulsing through my veins as I escaped my jail cell. I'd been having to sneak out a lot lately.

I turned a corner without even thinking about it and realized I was headed straight for the Cullen's house. Hmm. Why not? Maybe Seth was over there. And even if he wasn't, they'd probably know where he was.

It didn't take me long to get there even though I was running. I wasn't even out of breath surprisingly. In no time at all I had the door open and walked inside. The first thing I noticed was that it was very quiet. I wondered where everyone was.

I didn't wonder long though because Edward walked into the entryway and smiled warmly at me.

"Hello Erin. I heard you coming up the driveway." he greeted me, giving me a hug.

"Hey Edward." I pulled back. "Where is everyone?"

"Out." he said simply. "Would you like to come in the living room and sit down?" he asked politely.

I nodded and began following him. "Sure. I have nothing better to do today." He turned around and gave me a 'look'. "I mean- Sorry." He just nodded and we started walking again.

When we got into the living room, we settled down on the couch and sat down in silence. I'm not going to lie. It was a little weird sitting down with a mind reading vampire.

_I suppose it is, but I wouldn't know. I'm the only mind reader I know. _Edward chuckled in my mind.

_Can we please talk out loud? _I asked him.

"Of course." he replied, out loud to my great pleasure. He stared at me for a minute and then frowned. "You ran all the way here?"

I nodded sheepishly. "Uh… yeah I did."

He looked thoughtful for a few moments and then carefully said, "You know, I think you would make an amazing vampire."

Me? A vampire? For some reason that thought unsettled me. Sure, the Cullens didn't drink human blood, but even the thought of animal blood made my stomach feel all queasy. And what about Seth?

Edward laughed a little and then said, "No, I wasn't suggesting you should become one. No, that's a fate I would not wish on my worst enemy. I was just saying that it would be very interesting to see what you would be like as a vampire."

I frowned and looked at him. "You guys really don't like being vampires do you?" I asked.

He shook his head. "With the exception of Bella and that's only because she's with me."

"Was it hard?" I asked randomly. "Being with Bella when she was a human?"

He sighed and nodded. "It was difficult. I had a hard time controlling myself, but I loved her. I didn't want to hurt her." He shook his head. "I still think she would've been better off with Mike Newton sometimes."

I nodded. It was perfectly understandable. It sounded like the way Seth felt about me.

Edward chuckled again. "Now Erin. You should know how imprinting works by now. The way Seth feels about you is entirely different from how I feel about Bella." He stared at me for a minute and added, "It seems the way you feel about him is too."

I felt myself blush a little. "I thought you were going to stay out of my head." I said jokingly.

He grinned slyly. "I never said that Erin. I said we would stop the conversation in your head."

I sighed heavily. There was just no winning with a century old mind reading vampire.

"Not quite a century." Edward interrupted my thoughts.

I rolled my eyes and asked, "Do you know where Seth is? I haven't been able to get a hold of him all day."

Edward frowned and said, "If I'm not mistaken, which I'm usually not, he's coming up the driveway right now."

Two seconds later I heard the door open and Seth' s familiar voice shouted, "Hey Edward! Where are you?!"

"Ah. I was right." Edward said to me. Then he shouted, "In the living room!"

I heard Seth walk down the hall and then he asked, "You wouldn't happen to have seen Erin, would you?". I could tell that he was just outside the door.

I grinned and said, "In here Seth."

He appeared in the next half a second grinning from ear to ear. I stood up and he tackled me into a hug and rocked me back and forth.

"You have no idea how much I missed you." he whispered in my ear softly.

I pulled back just a smidge so I could look into his eyes. "I think I might." I looked over his shoulder at Edward who just gave me a knowing smile.

Seth placed a gentle kiss on my lips, oblivious to Edward, and then walked me over to the couch, pulling me on his lap.

I was so incredibly lucky to have him. Out of the billions of girls in this world I was the one lucky enough to have Seth Clearwater, the most amazing guy in the world, love me as much as he did.

_Seth think he's the lucky one. _Edward informed me.

_We both are. _I replied.

"So," I began, turning to Seth. "just where have you been all day? I was stuck at my house with Brian all morning. Do you know what kind of torture that was?"

"I'm sorry." Seth apologized sincerely. "But Jacob wanted me to check out something in the woods. He thought it was pack business."

"Thought?" I asked curiously. "What do you mean 'thought'?"

"Turned out to be nothing. Just some idiots from Forks High messing around." Seth explained. "No big trouble. I just scared the crap out of them and they ran like scared little girls."

I laughed at that. "Well, I'm glad it wasn't anything too serious. You aren't the only one who gets worried you know."

Seth nodded. "Yeah, I know." He sighed heavily and something told me he was thinking about something.

"What?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"Nothing." he said hurriedly.

"Seth," I said sternly. "don't you dare tell me this is nothing. I know you. I can tell when you're lying. So fess up." I was not the type to sit and listen to a bold face lie. Something was up and I'd make him tell me if I had too.

"Go on Seth." Edward said, startling me for a minute. He was so quiet I completely forgot he was there. "She's just going to tell you the same thing Jacob and I are telling you."

"What?" I asked again. This sounded very serious.

Seth sighed again and said, "I wanna stop phasing." This was big. Major. Huge.

"Why?" I asked incredulously. "Why would you do something like that?"

"Because we're about the same age." he began. "I don't need to wait for you to catch up on me. There's no reason to continue. There aren't any threats to Forks or La Push. Some of the other guys are about to stop. Jared, Paul, and Sam."

"But if you stop phasing, you'll start aging again." I told him.

He nodded. "Yeah, I will. But that means that I can be with you always. I can grow old with you."

That was it, the last straw. He wasn't going to do that. "No." I stated firmly. "You are not going to stop phasing."

"Told you." Edward interjected. "You couldn't honestly think she'd let you do that."

"Erin, please. We aren't going to argue about this." Seth said, sounding a little tired.

"You're darn right we aren't." I told him. "You are not going to give up who you are because of me. You love being a wolf. Don't make me take that away from you. Just let me grow old and stay with me. I don't care if it's weird. We can live in a one room hut in the woods and just stay away from people."

"Don't ask me to make you live like that." Seth told me, seeming angry. Not at me, but at himself.

"Seth Clearwater you are a werewolf. I love you. You aren't going to stop phasing." I was getting mad. How could he be so stubborn?

"Don't make me let you die alone." he whispered fiercely.

"Don't ask me to condemn you." I said harshly back.

"That's what you'll be doing if you make me continue phasing. I won't live without you." he told me.

I know I should've been flattered at his devotion, but I couldn't allow him to just give up this huge part of himself for me. I'd never be able to forgive myself.

"Seth Clearwater. So help me if I hear that you've stopped phasing, and believe me I will, I will never speak to you again. Do you hear me?" I know that was a little harsh, but something had to be done. I couldn't let him do this for me.

He sighed defeated. "Fine. I won't stop. I don't know why you're dead set against it though."

"Because I, like you, am not selfish in the least bit." I told him, closing the matter once and for all.

Edward cleared his throat even though Seth and I full well knew he didn't have to. "Well, now that this discussion is over why don't we talk about something more cheerful."

I wasn't all too sure I wanted to talk about anything after that lovely conversation. I was too worn out.

I think Seth noticed because he said, "It's stopped raining. We could go to the beach together. Just me and you. We haven't had much time to ourselves. People keep interrupting."

I thought about it for a minute and decided it sounded like a wonderful idea. It would be cloudy and wet, so not that many people would be there. Almost total seclusion. "Sure sounds great." I said, standing up.

"See you later then." Edward called as Seth and I left hand in hand.

Something told me in the very back of my mind that Seth and I weren't going to be totally alone. We rarely ever were. Something or someone unexpected would turn up and ruin everything. Just call it paranoia and think nothing of it.

**So, that was very dramatic. I hoped you really liked it. I worked long and hard on this chapter. It's hard to say when I'll get around to updating, but it should be sometime next week. Well, see you around.**


	15. Confrontation

**Hey everyone. How are you guys? I hope you are in the mood for another excellent chapter. Well, this one is in Seth's POV and the idea was given to me by SilverGoldsun - .Day. So, big thanks to you. As you've probably guessed, I have tons of ideas for later on. But, I have no ideas until they start school. So, if you get any ideas, they would be greatly appreciated. Okay, I better get onto this chapter now. Hope you enjoy it.**

As I suspected, the beach was almost completely deserted. Just a few little kids wearing jackets and jeans. Erin and I couldn't have looked like an odder couple. I was in a t-shirt and shorts and she was wearing a t-shirt and Capri pants with sandals. I found it odd that she wasn't cold, but decided not to press the matter. I mean, I did have an arm wrapped around her waist. That was probably why she was so warm.

It was pretty boring just standing there, watching the little kids play in the sand so I got an idea. I pushed Erin into the water and laughed as she fell, completely surprised.

"Seth Clearwater!" she shouted at me, standing up. Water was dripping off of her, making puddles in the sand.

I put my hand over my mouth to stifle the laughter. "Mhhmm?" I managed to mumble incoherently.

"You are so gonna pay." she told me, smirking evilly.

I backed up several paces, unsure of what she was going to do to me. "Now, there's no need to be rash Erin."

She managed to grab me by the arm and drag me to the edge of the water. Man, was that girl strong. Or, more accurately, I just didn't want to hurt her by jerking away from her. Yeah, that made much more sense.

"Oh come on." I begged, trying to wrench out of her grip. "Don't."

"Sorry Seth." she said, giving me a good push.

I landed backwards into the water with a splash and this time Erin was the one laughing her head off. I shook my head and stood up slowly. "Ok, ok. You got me. Now we're even."

She just smiled. "Okay. Just don't do that to me anymore. I don't care if you're bored or not."

Wait. How'd she know I was bored? I didn't get a chance to ask her. I noticed a couple guys coming our way. Oh no. I knew those guys and I was more than unhappy to see them. I was furious.

"Get behind me Erin." I whispered to her quickly as the guys started to walk over to us. They had spotted me. Not a good sign.

"Why?" she asked, confused.

I sighed. "Please, just do it. This is important and I'll explain it later. Just please." I told her, but it was too way late by then. They were standing in front of us.

"Hey Seth. Haven't seen you in a while." Adam Cole. I'd been going to school with him since I was five and we never really got along which is saying something since I pretty much get along with anyone.

"Adam." I said through clenched teeth, grabbing Erin's hand. Big mistake. That just drew more attention to her.

Adam looked at her and smiled a very charming smile. "Well, aren't you going to introduce us to your friend?"

I sighed. "Erin, this is Adam Cole and Josh Anderson." I said, nodding to each one in turn. "This is my friend Erin."

Adam gave her another smile. "Nice to meet you Erin." I knew that look. I knew what he was thinking. I also knew there wasn't anyway that he was going to get her.

"Nice to meet you too." Erin said, politely. I glanced at her for a brief second and was relieved with the blank look on her face.

"So, how'd you meet this loser?' Josh asked, seeing as how his friend was speechless.

Erin wrapped her arm around me and said, "Well I was walking and he just kinda… knocked me off my feet."

Adam's smile wavered. "So you two are together?" he asked.

Okay, I was finished playing games with him. I really hoped we could have just avoided this whole mess, but I should have known better. With Adam Cole the saintliest person on Earth would hit him upside the head. I hoped Erin would forgive me for this.

"Yes Adam, and don't you dare even think about it." I told him, feeling myself getting even angrier.

"What are you even talking about Seth?" Adam asked me nonchalantly.

"Yeah Clearwater. What are you talking about?" Josh asked, cracking his knuckles menacingly. You see, Adam was the brains and Josh was the brawn. But neither of them were smart enough to realize that they were dealing with a very angry werewolf. If they only knew they probably would've wetted themselves.

"Oh, come off it. You know exactly what you're thinking about." I said, my teeth still clenched. I'm telling you if Erin wasn't standing next to me I would've phased and ripped his head off.

"Oh." Adam said. "That." He winked at Erin and she gave him a disgusted look.

Erin squeezed my hand and whispered, "Seth let's get out of here. I mean, I seriously want to watch you tear these guys apart, but there are small children in the vicinity."

That was what I loved about her. She knew exactly how I felt and was funny too. I stifled a laugh and nodded, pulling her along with me. I immediately felt calmer knowing we were getting away from those jerks.

"I'm amazed you kept so calm." Erin told me, smiling. "I thought it was hard to control your anger and keep from phasing."

"It is." I told her. "But I guess it's a little easier for those of us with imprints. I just kept telling myself that I'd hurt you if I phased. Emily's face kept flashing through my mind."

"Oh, right. Sam did that. I'd forgotten." Erin said, suddenly a little sad.

"But, don't worry." I told her hastily. "I'd never do that to you. Not in a million years." I kissed her hand gently.

"I know." she whispered, Then she looked up at me. "So, where to next?" she asked, smiling softly and making her beautiful green eyes sparkle.

I shrugged. "We've got a whole summer ahead of us. We can do whatever you want."

She smiled at me again and said, "Two months of vacation. What to do?" I heard her stomach growl and she laughed. "Uh, maybe dinner would be nice. I skipped breakfast and lunch today."

I smiled back at her. "Well, I know a nice little place. It's called 'my house' and the chef is amazing."

She chuckled and said, "Sounds nice. I'm totally up for it."

"I thought you might be." I said as I led her off in the direction of my house. My mother would be so happy to see Erin and I knew Erin would feel the same.

**Okay, not my best, Still, it was good. Pretty short though. Well, I didn't have much time due to homework and band practice. I'll make my next chapter so much better. Updating soon.**


	16. Interruptions

**Hey everyone. Thanks for the reviews on my last chapter. I know it wasn't my best, but I'm glad you all liked it enough anyway. So, in this lovely chapter Seth and Erin have just eaten dinner at his house. Seth's POV. It's pretty sweet and another filler. Yay fillers. Anyway, before I begin I have a small disclaimer to make. I do not, repeat: do not, own the song _1,2,3,4_ by the Plain White T's. I will say no more. Okay on with the story.**

Dinner was over and I think it went rather well. Leah wasn't there to embarrass me so that was a huge plus. My mom exclaimed when Erin walked through the door with me and made a huge fuss over her when I said she hadn't had any food all day. My mom then proceeded to making a huge meal and told Erin that she fixed it up so that she could go to school on the rez in August. While we ate, Charlie Erin, and I talked a little bit about football. It was pretty great.

But, as I said, dinner was over and done with and we were now in my room, just sitting around. It was quite peaceful and I found it rather amazing that we could have an entire conversation without saying as single word.

Erin, who was sitting next to me on my bed, shifted a little. "I think I'm sitting on something." she announced.

"You probably are." I said, looking around my room. It was an utter mess, but I knew that Erin didn't care at all. She just didn't strike me as a neat freak. Call it a lucky guess.

She stuck her hand underneath her and pulled out what looked like a CD case. "You like the Plain White T's?" she asked, turning the case over.

I nodded. "They're ok. My cousin sent me that for Christmas."

"Mind if I listen?" she asked, although she probably already knew my answer.

"Sure." I shrugged pointing out my crappy old CD player.

She popped it in and the first song that came on was _1,2,3,4_. She turned around, a huge grin on her face. "I love this song." She restarted it and began singing along.

"_Give me more lovin' then I've ever had. Make it all better when I'm feelin' sad. Tell me that I'm special even when I know I'm not. _

_Make me feel good when I hurt so bad. _

_Barely gettin' mad, I'm so glad I found you. I love bein' around you. You make it easy, as easy as 1 2,(1 2 3 4.). There's only one thing to do three words for you. I love you. There's only one way to say those three words and that's what I'll do. I love you."_

"What?" she asked, stopping suddenly, noticing I was staring at her.

"You have an amazing singing voice." She rolled her eyes. "I'm serious. You're good." I barely noticed that the song was still playing in the background.

She shook her head. "No. My mom was good. I'm okay." She sighed and then added, "She could play piano too. She was really talented."

"And she became a psychologist?" I asked, a little confused.

Erin nodded. "Yup. She had thought about being a piano teacher or giving voice lessons, but she didn't think it would pan out. Besides, she was good with people."

I was still a little lost. Why would you give up something you were good at, something you loved? "So, she stopped singing and playing the piano to work with a bunch of whack job adults?"

She rolled her eyes. "First off, she worked with little kids and teenagers. Second off, she didn't give it up. She just didn't make a career out of it."

I noticed tension in the air. This wasn't good. "I'm sorry." I told her. "I didn't mean to make you mad."

She walked over to me (The CD had switched to a new song.) and sat down next to me. "Who said I was mad? A little irritated maybe, but I'm not mad."

"Really?" I asked, feeling a lot better. I hated thinking I'd made her angry or upset. The joys of imprinting.

"Really." she assured me. Then she placed a kiss on my cheek. "I'd let you know if I was mad Seth. I know how much you hate it."

I shook my head in disbelief. "It's amazing how much you understand how I feel. I don't think the other guys' imprints get it as much as you do."

She shrugged. "Maybe it's because I sorta feel the same exact way. I mean, I know I probably don't feel a fraction of the way you feel about me, but I really love you Seth."

"I know." I whispered. I noticed the entire time we were talking we had gotten closer and closer. It was to the point where I couldn't see anything but her eyes. If we had gotten any closer we would have banged our heads together. I prevented that unpleasant mess by just pressing my lips to hers. There. Now we were as close as two people could get.

She brought her arms around my neck and I placed my hands on her waist. We stayed like that for maybe thirty seconds when my mom decided to come in.

My door creaked open and I heard her say, "Why is it so dark in here?" and then light flooded into the room.

We broke the kiss and then I opened my eyes. Huh. I hadn't noticed the light was out or that it had gotten so dark outside.

"Sorry." my mom said, noticing Erin's expression. "I just thought you two might like to know that it's almost ten. I was gonna ask if Erin needed a ride home."

She nodded. "Yeah Sue. That would be good. Thanks."

My mom smiled and began to back out of the room. "I'll leave you two alone for a few more minutes." She closed the door behind her slowly.

I sighed and fell down on my bed. "If it's not Edward, Bella, Nessie, or Alice it's Jacob or someone else in the pack. If it's not them it's jerks from my school. If it's not jerks from my school it's my family. Are we ever going to get any time alone?" I asked, feeling a little depressed.

Erin smiled slyly. "Well, my uncle won't be home all day tomorrow. You could come over. We could watch TV. I could finish that drawing of you. It'd be really fun."

I thought that over. It would be fun and we'd get to be alone. No interruptions. Just me and Erin. Watching TV, maybe listening to some music. It'd be amazing. All day. Just the two of us.

I nodded. "Sounds good. What time do you want me to come over?" I asked.

"Uh… around ten should be good." she told me. "Well, I better get going. See you Seth." She kissed me on the cheek again.

"Wait." I said, standing up at the exact moment that she did. "Want me to go with you?"

She shook her head. "No, that's okay. I'll be okay with just your mom. I need to talk to her about me going to school with you a little bit more."

"Okay." I sighed as she walked to the door. "See you tomorrow."

"I can hardly wait." she said as she pulled open the door, walked out, and closed it behind her.

I could hardly wait either. I was a whole twelve hours away from being alone with the greatest girl on the face of the planet. Finally alone. Just the two of us. I was excited just thinking about it. Why did tomorrow have to be so far away?

**Okay guys that's it for this chapter. Next one is in Erin's POV. Updating sooner than you think.**


	17. A Lovely Evening With Uncle Brian

**Hey everyone. See? I told you I'd be updating sooner than you thought. Anyway, this chapter is in Erin's POV. It should be pretty good. It shows something about her uncle that may answer some questions. I really hope you love this chapter. The next one might be Sunday, but if I have too much to do this weekend it'll be Wednesday. Sorry guys. A band competition and an AP US History project will be dominating my weekend. I'll try though. So, here we go. I really hope you like this.**

"Thanks again Sue." I said, shutting the car door on the passenger side. "I really appreciate all of this." Sue had driven me home and we had talked about me starting school in La Push.

"You're welcome sweetie." Sue said, smiling at me, reminding me of her son. "It was no trouble at all. Call me anytime you need anything."

"Will do." I said. "See you later. Tell Seth I'll see him tomorrow." I waved her off and then walked up my driveway.

I prayed that I wouldn't run into my uncle on my way to my room. It was way past curfew and he was scarier than Paul when he got angry. It wasn't a pretty sight.

I slowly turned the doorknob and pulled the door open. I breathed a sigh of relief when I didn't hear anything and headed for the stairs. He was probably fast asleep on the couch.

"Erin Amanda Morgan!" I guess I spoke a little too soon.

_Surprised he remembers my name. _I thought to myself.

"Yeah Brian?" I asked, clenching my teeth. Sometimes my temper got the better of me. However, I was nowhere near as bad as Brian.

"Get your ass into this living room." he ordered me.

I let out a huff and walked into the living room. It was a complete mess. There were chips, trash, and cans of soda everywhere. I guess he wanted me to clean it up.

"Where the hell have you been?" he asked angrily.

_Like you actually give a crap. _I thought bitterly.

"I was just at a friend's house. It was no big deal." I told him calmly. "They just dropped me off."

"What friend?" he asked his tone thick with anger. "You don't have any friends."

_Shows how much you know. _

"I do so have friends." I told him, keeping my tone as steady as possible. "I was at my friend Seth's house." Notice I didn't say 'my boyfriend Seth'. Brian would've flipped out.

"Seth who?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes. I knew he could've cared less where I was. If I hadn't come home he wouldn't have so much as blinked an eye. Whenever I came home late he put on an act.

"Seth who?" he asked again, his face turning red.

"Seth Clearwater." I told him. "He lives in La Push." I added.

"If he lives on the reservation how did you meet him?" Brian asked, continuing with the charade.

"I was walking through Forks one day and I ran into him. We just started talking and then he introduced me to some of his friends. I like them. They're nice, good kids." I said, getting a little fed up with him.

"You didn't know the kid and you talked to him and then you just went off with him?" Brian asked incredulously.

"Yeah, that's generally how you make friends Brian." I said, a little of my anger coming out in my voice. Why was he giving me the third degree? It wasn't as if he actually cared.

"Don't you pop an attitude with me little missy." he scolded. "So, do any of your friends actually live in Forks?"

"No." I told him plainly. "No one in Forks likes me. They all hate me and won't talk to me."

_All because of you. _I thought angrily.

"That's why I'm going to be starting school in La Push in August." I said, getting brave. He'd find out sooner or later.

"What do you mean?" he growled at me. "I didn't sign anything."

I pulled the papers out of my bag and handed them to him. "Mrs. Clearwater works on the Council and talked it over with the principal. You don't have to fill out anything. Just sign on the line." I instructed.

"And why in the hell would I do that for?" he asked.

"Because my dad clearly stated that I could go to school wherever I wanted. The only reason I said Forks High was because it was most convenient. Now that I can go to La Push I want to." There. That would fix him.

He glared at me then scribbled his signature on the papers and threw them at me. "Now get to your room and get out of my sight."

"As if I wanted to stay down here with you a minute longer." I muttered to myself, shoving the papers in my bag. I turned around and he slapped me.

"Don't you get smart with me." he barked. "I'm the adult here. Not you. You're grounded."

"Great." I muttered again. "So not a punishment." This time he knocked me backwards into the wall and I fell to the ground.

"Ooh." I groaned, rubbing my side. There was definitely going to be a huge bruise there in the morning. A big, dark purple, painful bruise.

"Now maybe that'll teach you to smart off to me." he told him. "Now get your miserable ass up off the floor and into your bedroom before I kick it again."

I glowered at him and slowly stood up. "Fine." I muttered darkly. I seriously hated him. He did stuff like that upon occasion. I was used to it. I mean, he never actually hurt me badly.

"Piece of crap." I heard him mumble as I climbed the stairs.

_Right back at you asshole. _I thought angrily.

I usually avoided cussing, but Brian forced me to do it. He just made me so mad. Before I met Seth I had often thought about running away. That wasn't an option anymore. Just two years and I was legally out of here. I could hardly wait.

I reached my room and flopped down on my bed. My room was my place of solitude, my sanctuary. I looked around and smiled. My walls had been bare save for a Harry Potter poster until recently. Now they were covered with pictures of wolves I got off the internet, drawings of wolves that I did myself, and pictures of me, Seth, Scout, Collin, Nessie, Jake, Alice, Bella, and Edward. Thank goodness Brian never went into my room.

I sighed and hopped up. I needed music to calm my nerves. I hunted up a CD Edward had made me with a bunch of great songs and popped it into my CD player. The sounds of 'Ode to Joy' trickled throughout my room. There, that was better. Breathe in and out. Calm.

I sat back down on my bed and glanced at my dresser. My unfinished picture of Seth was smiling at me. I smiled back and grabbed my pencil. I was going to finish this tonight.

_Tomorrow is going to be so awesome. _I thought as I shaded some. _Eleven hours is far too long to wait. _

**Okay, there's that chapter. I hoped you found that interesting. I gave you a little insight into Erin's home life. Sorry it was so short though. Next chapter's in Seth's POV. Bye everyone.**


	18. Alone At Last

**Well, I got a little bit of free time. Yay! I hope you are all very happy about this. Now, sadly, I didn't get very many reviews on my last chapter. In fact, I'm pretty sure I only got three. Or maybe it was two. I can't remember. But anyway. All three (or two) were positive though which is very good. However, I have a small question for you guys. Now, the three (or two) people that reviewed me said things like 'great' or 'awesome'. So, my question is: Did you guys think it was great that Erin's uncle slapped her and then knocked her against a wall? I ask simply because not one person mentioned what he did. I found that odd. I thought you'd all be freaking out and cursing his name. Oh well. I just found that really strange and rather shocking. Okay, so to this chapter. It's really tame compared to the last one. I haven't decided if I'm going to skip the rest of the summer or not. Depends on if I get anymore ideas. We'll see. Well, this chapter is in Seth's POV. Let's see what he and Erin are up to.**

After a virtually sleepless night, I got up at around seven. I had hours to kill. I ate breakfast and then watched a few pointless TV shows. I was on pins and needles waiting until I could see Erin.

Eventually it was time to head to her house so I ran as fast as my legs would carry me. I got there in about ten minutes. (What can I say? I'm fast.) I knocked on the door rapidly.

The door pulled open and I saw her beautiful face smiling softly at me. It was then that I noticed something different about her.

"You aren't wearing glasses." I said rather stupidly as I walked in.

She giggled and shut the door. "Uh yeah. I haven't been wearing them for awhile. I figured since I don't need them why wear them." She stared at me and then hurriedly said, "Unless you want me to."

I laughed. She was trying to impress me. She did that just by breathing. I loved her so much. "It's whatever you want." I told her. "I could care less if you wore a burlap sack. You're beautiful to me no matter what."

She smiled. "Well, I think I'll keep the glasses off for awhile."

We stood in her hallway for a second just staring at each other. I swear we could've stood there all day. But, after maybe five minutes, Erin shook her head and said, "Uh… well House is on. Let's go up to my room."

I just followed her up the stairs. I had never been in her house before, much less her bedroom. Now, I know tons of guys would be waiting for this opportunity to do 'stuff', but I wasn't like those guys. To me, this really was just as simple as watching TV and nothing else would happen.

"Mind you, it's a mess." Erin said, turning to me when we reached the top of the stairs.

"Oh yeah, 'cause I'm such a clean freak." I joked.

Erin smiled and twisted her doorknob. Her room was pretty small and dimly lit. Up against one light pink wall was a small bookshelf with a TV sitting on top. Next to the window was a dresser with a CD player and music box. (I assumed it was from her mother.) Her bed was on the wall across from the bookshelf and there was a tiny desk with a jewelry box and a laptop sitting on top. The floor was scattered with clothes and crumpled up pieces of paper and the walls were covered with pictures and a Harry Potter poster.

"So, what do you think?" she asked, sitting down on her bed which had a light purple comforter tossed on it.

I smiled mischievously. "I like it. It just screams Erin Morgan. Practically shrieks it."

"Is that supposed to be sarcastic?" she asked, me, raising an eyebrow.

I chuckled. "It just doesn't seem like you to me." I was eyeing the pink walls. When I thought Erin I thought bright greens and oranges and dark purples and hot pinks. I did not think rose pink and lilac.

"Yeah, well Brian said 'You wanna redecorate, you pay for it.' so I'm stuck with it." she said rolling her eyes. "But, I do have a many faceted personality. How many other girls do you know that are into Harry Potter and football?"

I shrugged. "Not many I guess."

She rolled her eyes at me and patted the bed. "Well, aren't you gonna sit down?"

I nodded and crossed over to her bed. I sat on the edge and she pulled on my arm. "Scoot up." she told me, exasperated. I sighed and scooted next to her.

"Better?" I asked, smiling.

She nodded and turned the TV on. We watched an entire episode of House (Oddly it was the Christmas one with the nuns.) before I noticed something odd about Erin.

"What are you doing?" I asked as she lifted the corner of her shirt again. She'd been doing that every commercial.

She looked at me, startled. "Oh… my side was hurting. I tripped down the stairs earlier. I was seeing if I had a bruise yet."

I shook my head. "You wouldn't get a bruise until at least tomorrow." I told her, glad it was nothing more serious.

"I know." she mumbled, looking puzzled.

I was just about to say something when House came back on and Erin's eyes focused on the TV. No talking to her until the next commercial. Well, it wasn't important anyway.

My eyes moved around and fell on a piece of paper on her nightstand. I frowned and reached for it. I took a look and smiled. It was the picture of me that Erin had been working on. It looked finished.

"Oh no." she whispered when she noticed that I was looking at it. "I wanted to surprise you later. Oh well, take it." She let out a loud yawn.

"Tired?" I asked, folding the picture up and sticking it in my pocket. "When did you get to bed last night?"

She rolled her eyes. "I went to sleep at about one. I was finishing that picture up for you."

"What?" I asked, incredulously. "And you still let me come over this morning?"

"Relax Seth. It's no big deal." she told me. "Besides, I want you here."

I sighed and stared at her. "Fine, but you are going to take a nap." Just as she was about to object, I placed and finger to her lips. "Please Erin. It'd make me feel better." I didn't add that she'd been worrying me and that I thought she was sick.

She sighed. "Fine. But you have to stay in here." She flipped off the TV. "Deal?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Man that girl was hard headed. How could I object to that? "Fine." I stood up and crossed to her bookshelf, picking out 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'. I walked over to her desk and sat down.

"I'm right here. I'll be reading to keep myself occupied." With that I opened the book and began reading.

I heard Erin let out a huff and mutter, "Crazy, over protective, worry wart werewolf." I chuckled to myself as I heard her crawl under the covers.

As I read, I began thinking. Erin had been acting very strange since the day I met her. I couldn't quite tell what it was. And she was always warm. Maybe that was because she was around me. But I still felt that she was sick. Maybe I should call Carlisle. No. Not yet. If it got worse I would.

There was another thing bugging me though. Her whole relationship with her uncle. It sounded as if she hated him with every fiber in her being. I wondered why. Maybe it was because she missed her parents and Brian wasn't even close to them. Maybe it was because he couldn't give her what she needed: love. Not the kind of love I gave her, but the love of a family. Maybe if her aunt was still alive things would be better, but we'd never know that for sure.

Erin stirred and I checked my watch. Sheesh. She'd been napping for two hours. I took a look at how far I'd gotten in my book. Page one. Crap. I hadn't read a thing this whole time.

I looked to Erin who was stretching and getting ready to open her eyes. I quickly flipped the book to a place in the middle and pretended to be reading.

"You that far already?" she moaned, signaling that it was safe to look up.

I let out a laugh. Her hair was matted. She looked like a five year old. She was so cute. Unfortunately she didn't take it that way. She thought I was making fun of her and chucked a pillow at me. It hit me in the face. Man that girl had power.

"Maybe that'll teach you to laugh at someone who just woke up, especially if that person is your girlfriend."

I almost laughed at her term. Girlfriend. She was so much more than that. Words couldn't describe what she was to me. So, for all intents and purposes, I supposed 'girlfriend' would suffice as a title in front of people.

"What?" she asked when she noticed I wasn't reacting to the pillow to the face the way she had intended.

I shook my head and tossed the pillow back at her. "Nothing. I was just thinking about something."

She rolled her eyes at me. "Seth Clearwater, you are so weird."

"So you've told me." I replied.

"Then why, pray tell, do I put up with you?" she asked me placing the pillow back on her bed.

I walked over to her and sat next to her, placing my hand on her knee. "Because you love me." I answered.

"I wish I knew why." she joked.

"Hey, I don't understand why you do either." I told her truthfully. Erin had told me herself she hated people making a fuss over her, but yet she dated someone who always made a fuss over her. She had also once said she wasn't real big on being touched, yet she was letting me place my hand on her knee.

At that thought I yanked my hand away from her rather quickly. Erin looked up at me, opened her mouth to speak, thought better of it, and looked at the floor. Great. I'd upset her. I placed my hand back on her knee and kissed her cheek.

"Sorry." I whispered.

"I told you I'm a complex individual Seth. I have many contradictions in my personality. I do hate being touched, but I will allow several people to do it anyway. I'm completely fine with you putting your hand on me. My parents were the only other people I let touch me. I'm just really comfortable around you." Erin explained.

How'd she know what I'd been thinking about? "How'd you… I didn't say anything about that." I said, dumbfounded.

Erin jerked her head up and then let out a nervous chuckle. "Well Seth, when you jerked your hand away from me I assumed that you thought you'd done something wrong. Then I remembered telling you that I don't like to be touched."

I nodded. That made perfect sense. I sighed. "So, what now?" I asked. The House marathon had ended by now. We had started watching it pretty late in the day. It was almost five now.

She sighed back. "You better be getting home. Brian will be back soon. Besides, I gotta finish filling out those forms for your mom."

I nodded. "School's back in session pretty soon. We start a week earlier than the kids at Forks. So, let's see. We have about a month and a week left of summer."

Erin nodded. "Yeah, and aren't you and your mom going somewhere next week?" she asked me.

"Yeah." I told her. "We take this annual camping trip. It used to be a family thing. Leah won't go anymore since Dad died. It's just me and Mom. Charlie said he didn't want to intrude. My mom decided against trying to talk him into it. He was just being nice."

She nodded. "So I'll be hanging out with Nessie and Jake until you get back." Then she added, "And maybe Collin and Scout."

"After that we have a month left and that month'll be spent finishing things up with the school so you can start and shopping." I informed her. "Besides, we still have to figure out a way to get you there. Too bad Nessie won't be starting school for a few more years."

She sighed heavily. "Look, if this is gonna be that difficult-"

I cut her off. "It won't be. Someone's just gonna have to wake up a little earlier. Maybe I can beg Mom to let me take that car from the Cullens. That way I'd be the only one getting up early."

"Let me know when you figure it out." she smiled. "Oh, and pick me up at the end of the road. Brian's not to thrilled about this." I noticed pain on her face.

"Hey, if this is a problem I can have Mom talk to him." I told her.

"No, no" she said hurriedly. "He'll be okay with it. No need to get Sue to talk to him. Just promise you'll pick me up at the end of the road."

"Okay, I promise." I told her, standing up. "Guess I better get going."

"Not without a good bye kiss." she told me. "Another contradiction. I hate mushy couples, but I'm part of one."

She placed her lips on mine and I was in heaven for thirty seconds. Then we pulled apart and I slowly left her house. Man did I hate that I wouldn't get anymore alone time with her for a long time.

**Okay, I'm finished with this chapter. Like I said, I have no idea what the next chapter will be about. I'll try and figure it out though. It'll be good. I promise. Well, until next time, bye.**


	19. Piano Lesson

**Hola good people of the world and all of the other planets in this universe and other universes. How are you all today? Great. That's enough small talk. You may be thinking to yourself: Hey, how come she's actually managing to update on time for once? Well, the answer is this: another cancelled marching competition. It's been raining over here and our football field was flooded due to the coaches stupidity. They were supposed to cover the stinking field, but I guess they had more important things to do. Just another one of the many reasons to hate the football team. I don't understand why they get all of this special treatment. I mean, it's not like they ever actually win a flipping game. Well, that's about it for my lovely little rant. I'm thinking you all might want me to get onto my next chapter. Okay, well this one is in Erin's POV (Except for a small part at the end.) and is the last of the summer chapters. Next one is the first day of school. Or, it should be. The only way that'll change is if I suddenly get another brilliant idea for a summer chapter, which I highly doubt. Just a quick little heads up, this chapter is sort of on the sort side just a smidgen. I hope that doesn't deter you from reading this wonderful chapter. No Seth in this one though. Remember? He's on that camping trip with his mother. Okay, that's enough of a back-story for right now. On with this chapter. Took me long enough huh?**

It was a cloudy, but dry day in Forks. Seth had been gone on his camping trip for a few days and would be coming back shortly. Where could I be found on this pretty okay day? Why, climbing out my window of course. Brian, being the _awesome _person that he was, had been on my case all day.

I decided on going to the Cullens again. It seemed like it was my only place of refuge whenever Seth wasn't around. I had a feeling that Jacob would be there with Nessie so I knew I wouldn't be bored. It's really hard to be bored when you're around the Cullens.

As usual, it didn't take me very long to walk to the house and I just let myself in. I felt happy knowing that I was trusted, and liked, enough to be allowed to just open the door and waltz right on inside whenever I pleased.

"Hello Erin." Alice said passing me in the front hall, her nose buried in a book. "They're in there." She pointed to the dining room and headed up the stairs.

"Thanks Alice." I said, walking into the dining room.

As I entered the room, four faces looked up and smiled at me warmly. Edward, Jacob, Bella, Renesmee, and Esme seemed very happy to see me.

"Yo shortie." Jacob said, smirking. He had given me this nickname as soon as I started dating Seth.

"'Sup mutt?" I asked. Yeah, I'd given him a nickname too. Okay, so Rosalie gave it to him first, but I needed to call him something and it just fit.

Esme and the others simply continued to smile. They knew we were only joking. It had become our usual routine during the week.

"Hey Erin." Bella said, looking as pretty as ever. "How are you doing today?"

I figured she could tell I was really missing Seth. Seth had told me what happened to Bella when Edward had left.

"Yeah. I'm fine." I told her. "I mean, Seth's coming home in a couple of days. I can hold on until then."

Jacob snorted and Nessie elbowed him. "Oh be quiet Jake. I think it's romantic." she cooed.

I flashed a grateful smile at Nessie and then pulled up a chair and sat down next to Bella.

"So, what's going on today?" I asked casually. "Anything exciting?"

Edward shook his head. "Nothing's going on Erin. I swear. We were just having a regular conversation."

Dang that mind reader. He knew I thought something magical and mysterious was happening. I mean, why else would Edward and Jacob be having a civil conversation? Usually when they talked one of them looked pissed off and the other looked smug.

_We try to act like adults when Renesmee is around. Sometimes we forget, but we're usually pretty good about it._

_Thanks for informing me Edward._

_Anytime. _

Jacob groaned. "Enough with the mind conversations. It's creeping me out. Besides, I know you're talking about me. You don't have to spare my feelings. I'm a big boy."

I giggled. "Oh yeah. Sure. That's why Seth can beat you up."

Bella covered her mouth to hide her amusement, but Edward laughed openly. Jacob, much to my delight, was grumbling.

"Okay, let's get something straight." Jacob told me defensively. "First off, the kid caught me off guard. Second off, he was getting the remote from me for you. You'd be surprised what we can do for our imprints. If you hadn't been there Seth wouldn't have been trying as hard and I would've won."

I chuckled. "Sure Jake. Whatever makes you feel better."

Edward laughed harder so Bella elbowed him in the side. This seemed to hurt Edward a little because he said, "Ow Bella. I was only laughing. It was funny. You have to admit that."

"Okay, settle down" Esme said gently. "I think we all need to calm down." She turned to Edward. "How about a little music?" she asked him.

Edward nodded silently and we all followed him to the piano. It was beautiful and I heard myself sigh as I looked at it. My mother would cry tears of joy if she saw this magnificent instrument. I suddenly wished I could play.

"I could teach you if you like." Edward told me. He had obviously read my mind. "It's no trouble at all."

I shook my head. "My mother tried to teach me when I was younger, but I just don't have the patience."

"Oh come on." Nessie begged. "Dad's great. He's taught me a little. It's really fun Erin."

I shook my head again. "I don't think so guys. I appreciate the offer though."

"Maybe if you heard Edward play you'd change your mind." Esme said, grinning mischievously, a gleam in her eyes.

Before I could say a word, Bella said, "Edward, play my lullaby. I'm sure Erin would love to hear that."

Jacob and Nessie nodded. "It's beautiful." Nessie sighed.

Edward simply nodded and began playing. It was magical. I was swept away in the music and soon began thinking of my mother. I could imagine her listening to Edward and stroking my hair and whispering 'Why don't you give it another go?'.

Edward finished and winked at me. He knew that I was seriously thinking about learning the piano.

I then noticed everyone staring at me expectantly. I sat down next to Edward on the bench and sighed. "Okay. Teach me how to play." I told him.

He nodded and said, "We'll start with scales."

It didn't take long to practice the scales. My mother had drilled them into my head. That was really as much as I learned. After that I just sort of stopped.

Edward taught me a basic tune while our audience watched. An hour after we started Edward turned to me. "I think that's enough for today. How about you come by every Saturday at about this time?"

I nodded. "Just don't tell Seth. I think I want to surprise him with this. He'd be so happy."

Edward nodded. "Maybe I can teach you 'Ode to Joy' by Christmas. Seth loves that song. It'd make a nice present."

"Sounds good to me." I replied. I then looked at my watch. "I guess I better be heading home. Thanks so much Edward."

"Anytime." he said, hugging me.

I said my goodbyes and headed out the door and glumly made my way home. Two days until Seth was due home. I just had to make it for two more days.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Not long after Erin left, Alice came running down the stairs. She had something very urgent to tell everyone else. It was about Erin and it was very curious.

"I have something to tell you." Alice said when she found the others. "It's about Erin."

"What?" Jacob asked. He felt since this was about Seth's imprint it was very important to him.

"I don't know what this means, but I can't see her." Alice informed them.

"What are you saying?" Bella asked curiously.

"I'm saying that I can't _see _her." Alice repeated, exasperated. "I tried looking at her future and nothing."

"Maybe that's because she's around Seth so much." Nessie supplied. "You can't see the wolves so maybe he's getting in the way."

Alice shook her head stubbornly. "That's not it." she told them. "I don't understand why, but I got the sudden urge to look at her future. I felt that I had to. I felt that something was wrong. That she was in danger or something."

Everyone tensed up. Danger was definitely not good. Danger for them meant life threatening things. The Volturi. Or trackers. Erin was just a human. She'd be killed.

"And?" Esme asked.

"And, I looked into her not so distant future. About two hours before now." Alice said worriedly. "All I saw was a fuzzy picture. I think I saw a man and I heard a yell and then a high pitched scream. I never saw Erin and I couldn't identify the man."

Jacob went deep into thought. "Do you think the reason that you couldn't see what was going on was because I was going to go and check on her?"

Alice shook her head stubbornly. "No, because you just made that decision."

"Maybe," Edward began slowly, "Maybe she's like Bella. I could never read her mind. Maybe you can't see Erin's future. Maybe she's a shield too."

Alice sighed. "I guess that might be it. And, maybe I just saw her uncle in my vision. Maybe they were watching a movie or something. If it was a horror movie that would explain the yell and the scream."

Esme nodded. "There. A logical explanation. Nothing to worry about."

"I still wonder though." Bella whispered. "I mean, Alice could see my future even though I was a shield."

"Maybe Erin's a different kind of shield Bells." Jacob said rationally.

Edward nodded. "Anything's possible when you're dealing with vampires and werewolves. I always thought, and still think, that Erin would make an exceptional vampire."

Jacob growled. "You wanna turn her into a vampire? She's Seth's imprint. Imagine what that would do to him."

"I never said I wanted to." Edward growled back defensively. "I simply thought it would be interesting to see what she'd be like as one."

Bella put her hand on Jacob's shoulder. "Maybe you should go Jake. It's getting late."

Jacob nodded, hugged Nessie, and left.

Everyone had a lot to think about. What did any of this mean? Was it simply nothing to worry about or was it something that would turn around and bite them in the butt? Alice not being able to see Erin could have some pretty deadly consequences.

**Ooh. I'm good aren't I? I hope you liked that. I think it gave you something to think about. Well, until next week. Good bye. **


	20. The New Kid In School

**Sheesh guys, it's been a while. I'm terribly sorry about that. It's just that I was working on a chapter for 'In the Blink of an Eye', I had to go to a football game (The band had to play for homecoming/senior night.) I had a band competition, I had a friend who needed me, I had homework, and I had to do the necessary human things like eat, sleep, and bathe. I've been swamped with all kinds of stuff lately. But, band season is almost over so that gives me a little more free time. Sigh. One more week and then band is over. I'm going to miss all four of our seniors, especially our drum major. She's my favorite ginger. SQUIRREL! (inside band joke) Oh, right. I'm babbling. You want me to get this chapter started already right? I suppose I probably should do that. Well, I have a little bit of news before I start. I'm going to be posting my new Harry Potter fanfic, 'It Takes Two' (title subject to change), in the next couple of months. It's about Fred and George Weasley and a girl named Alyssa. I think you'll love it. There's a summary somewhere on my profile so you can check that out. Okay, now for this chapter. This is in Erin's POV. It's the first day of school. Should be interesting. Well, enjoy.**

My alarm clock was what woke me up on the first day of school. At first, I was confused. I didn't usually get up that early. However, as soon as I wiped the sleep out of my eyes and they focused on a picture of me and Seth, all became clear. I had to wake up earlier than usual so Seth could pick me up on time.

I quickly got ready in an amazing outfit. I had on my purple converses, a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, and a black and white striped t-shirt. I added and silver belt, a pair of small hoop earrings, and a charm bracelet my mother gave me. Then I put my curly hair into a bun, looked in the mirror, and grabbed my backpack.

I took the stairs two at a time, making sure not to make any noise lest I would have to face the wrath of my stupid uncle. I grabbed my bright yellow jacket off the hook in the hall and stepped out the door.

It was remotely chilly (I mean, it was five in the morning.) but I wasn't too bothered by the cold. I mainly grabbed the jacket to please Seth. I knew he had been worried about me.

I made it to the end of the road and plugged my Ipod in my ears. I needed something to keep me occupied until I saw Seth's smiling face drive up. I smiled as 'Poppin' Champagne' by All Time Low blared loudly in my ears. I let the music take me away for a few moments.

It wasn't long before a car pulled up beside me. It was a cherry red 1967 Camaro. The window rolled down and I saw Seth's face smiling at me with adoration. There was a sparkle in his eyes.

I climbed in the passenger seat and shut the door, buckling my seat belt. I took the ear buds out of my ears and placed my Ipod in my backpack.

Seth began driving and said, "So what do you think of the car?"

I smiled. "I like it. It's very you. I take it your mom let you accept it huh?"

He nodded. "Yeah, but only so I could pick you up for school and then drop you back off."

His cell phone rang in his pocket. He pulled it up and shook his head. "Piece of crap." he muttered, answering the phone.

"Yo. Hey Brady. No. Picked up Erin. Yeah. Ugh. Fine. What? Collin and Scout too? Fine. I'll be there. Bye." He hung up and groaned.

"What's up?" I asked.

"We gotta pick up Brady, Collin, and Scout." He sounded unhappy about this. I wondered why.

"Well, okay." I said and turned my head to look out of the window. This was pointless because it was too dark to see anything properly.

Suddenly Seth said, "Crap. You must be freezing. How stupid am I? Let me turn on the heater." He reached out to turn it on, but I reached out to stop him.

As soon as his hand touched mine, he looked at me, shock and confusion written all over his face.

"What?" I asked, pulling my hand back.

"You're really warm." he murmured. "But, you were outside with no jacket on." He stared straight ahead, not looking at me.

I shrugged. "So I'm warm. No big deal. Brian had the heat cranked up all night. That's all." I lied. I hated lying to him, but I didn't want him to make a fuss over nothing. I was perfectly fine.

Seth nodded absently, not really paying any attention to me. I heard him whisper "Makes no sense.".

I groaned and sank back in my seat. Why did I even bother trying to get him to listen to me? I was silent until we suddenly stopped and Seth rolled down the window.

I saw Scout, Collin, and Brady out of the corner of my eye. They all greeted us cheerfully and Seth and I just murmured a reply. The three of them simply shrugged and climbed in. We were all silent until we pulled up at the school.

In structure, the high school on the reservation looked much like Forks High, just smaller. I looked around at all of the kids and immediately felt out of place.

I felt Seth come closer to me and lace his fingers with mine. It seemed our little awkward moment had passed. I felt very relieved.

We walked towards the front of the school together, leaving Brady, Scout, and Collin alone by the car.

When we got inside, Seth said, "Okay, you better get to your homeroom early. You know where it is right?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I'll be fine. I think."

Seth hugged me. "I'm sure you will. I won't see you until lunch so I want to give you something." He leaned in and kissed me gently, and rather briefly, on the lips

"I love you." he whispered.

"Love you too." I said, feeling a little awkward. There were people all around us, but none of them were watching. At least, not from what I could tell. I did not enjoy being the center of attention even though I was far from being shy. You could say that I had a loud mouth sometimes.

I walked off towards my homeroom all alone and wishing that Seth was with me. I knew people were staring at me as they made their way to their own homerooms. A few eyes met mine and some smiled while others stared at me funny. I just wanted lunch to come.

When I walked into my homeroom, it was completely empty except for the teacher. She was an elderly lady and she smiled warmly at me. "You must be Erin Morgan. Sue Clearwater told me you'd be starting school here."

I nodded. "Yeah. You must be Mrs. Underwood. Seth Clearwater told me he had you for history. He's my friend."

She smiled. "Ah yes. Seth Clearwater. I had him last year. AP Us History. He was very bright. He did such amazing projects."

I nodded silently and took a seat directly in front of her. I pulled my sketchpad out of my backpack and was going to begin drawing, when Collin walked in.

"Hey Mrs. Underwood." he said, taking a seat behind me. "Did you have a good summer?"

"It was rather quiet, but fairly pleasant." she answered getting a wistful look. "I suppose you had quite a summer yourself." There was a glint in her dark eyes.

I stared at her for a minute, confused, when Collin tapped me and said, "Mrs. Underwood knows. A lot of the teachers do. You see, sometimes we gotta miss school. Right Mrs. U?"

She gave a little nod of her head. "And I know all about you Miss Morgan." She smiled. "Seth Clearwater's a good boy. You're very fortunate."

I felt myself blush. "Yeah, I know."

She smiled knowingly and everything was quiet for a few moments while kids began filing in. They waved to their friends, took some pictures, and talked to each other. Some girls stared longingly at Collin and some stared at me curiously.

Soon, the bell rang and Mrs. Underwood clapped her hands together to get everyone's attention.

"Well, welcome to another exciting year of school." She gestured to me and everyone stared. "As you can see, we have a new student. This is Erin Morgan and I want all of you to make her welcome."

A boy in the corner snorted and Mrs. Underwood cleared her throat. "Now Logan, that's enough of that." she scolded. "And spit out your gum."

The kid grumbled, walked over to the trash can, spit out his gum and walked back over to his seat. I noticed him roll his eyes as he sat back down.

Mrs. Underwood went on to telling us all of the rules, giving us important forms, and wishing us all a good year. Then she announced that she would be handing out our schedules and after that we'd be dismissed.

"Collin Main." she called, the corners of her lips turned up in a small, discreet smile. Obviously Mrs. Underwood didn't like to show her favorites.

She called a few more names and then finally got to me, the last one.

I walked up and took my schedule from her. Then she handed me another piece of paper.

"Your locker." she explained. "Everyone else has had theirs' since they were freshman."

I nodded and then the bell rang. I grabbed my bag and followed Collin out the door.

"What do you have first?" Collin asked me as I opened my new locker and put away my bag.

"Uh…" I took a look at my schedule. "I have art class, then AP US History, then AP English, then Algebra II."

Collin nodded. "We have AP US History and Algebra II together. Lunch is after third period."

I smiled. "Thanks. Just four and a half hours until I see Seth."

I expected Collin to laugh, but he didn't. "He's probably counting down the seconds. I know I can't wait to see Scout. Too bad she's only a sophomore."

This surprised me. "Really? How'd you guys get together then?"

Collin began walking and I followed him downstairs. I supposed he had a class near mine.

"Scout's good at math. She takes harder math classes than the other kids in her grade. We met last year at the beginning of school. She sat next to me in geometry and that was that." Collin told me.

I noticed we stopped in front of a door.

"This is your class." Collin explained. "If you have any trouble look for me or Brady. You might run into Scout, but I sort of doubt it. I know you won't run into Seth for a while."

I nodded, said thanks, turned into my classroom, and began an extremely long first day at my new school. An entire day of people staring at me, wondering who I was and why I was here. An entire day waiting for lunch, that amazing half hour where I'd get to be with Seth. Why'd he have to be a senior? Why?

**Okay guys, how was that? The next chapter will be lunch and then who knows after that. We'll just have to see. I do have one more announcement before I go though. Instead of having a note at the beginning and end of my chapters, I'm going to put a quote or a part from a song at the beginning and then a small note at the end. You can send me something for the beginning if you like. New chapter next week. See ya then!**


	21. Lunch Time

"_Wise men say only fools rush in, but I can't help falling in love with you." -- from A-TEENS 'Can't Help Falling In Love'_

Seth's POV

As soon as the bell rang for lunch I dashed out of the door and ran as fast as I could down the stairs. I was the first one in line and when I sat down at my table, only two minutes of the lunch period had passed.

I couldn't wait to see Erin. It had been a long day. Granted it had only been about four and a half hours, but it had felt like ages. I spent all of my class periods watching the minutes tick by one by one. It had been grating on my nerves until I couldn't stand it any longer.

But, it was lunch time and it wouldn't be long until I saw her. I could already see Brady. And Scout. And Collin. There! Erin was standing behind Collin. She was smiling and even from that far away I could feel the warmth from it. Was she the most beautiful thing on Earth or what? She practically glowed, especially when she laughed.

I sat there, staring at her until she finally got through the lunch line and sat right next to me. I smiled at her and she smiled back. My heart was about to burst with happiness.

"Hey. I missed you." I told her.

She blushed a little. "I missed you too."

My smile got ten times wider. "So, you having a good first day at school?" I asked curiously.

She nodded. "It's been fun."

"Make any new friends?" I asked.

"I think so." she told me. "There's a girl in my art class that seemed nice. Uh… Summer Bailey. She asked me if I wanted to join art club."

I nodded. Summer was a nice girl. Really shy, but still really nice. She'd make a good friend for Erin. "So, you gonna join art club?" It would make my time with Erin shorter, but at least she'd be happy.

She frowned. "I dunno. I don't think so."

"Why not?" I asked curiously. "You love art. You're amazing at it. You really should join."

She sighed. "I'll think about it okay. No promises though. Brian might not let me."

I raised my eyebrows. "Why wouldn't he let you?"

Her eyes went wide, like she had accidentally let something slip. "He just… he just… he just wouldn't okay."

"Okay." I said slowly. "If you aren't going to tell me that's completely fine. I understand. Private things. I won't ask again." I told her. "But if you ever want to tell me, I'm here." I added as an afterthought.

She looked at me, a small smile on her beautiful face. "I know Seth. I know." she whispered, reaching for my hand under the table.

"Hello!" Brady shouted, interrupting our silent moment. "Guy who doesn't have an imprint at the table! Stop being so gushy!"

I looked up and saw Collin and Scout sitting in front of us with only centimeters between them. It looked like they hadn't heard Brady at all. I seriously wished I hadn't, but it's sort of hard when the guy is shouting in your ear.

I looked at him, disgusted. "What do you want Brady?"

"Nothing." he replied. "I just want some attention from the two guys that are supposed to be my best friends."

I sighed. "Who ever told you that I was your best friend?" I asked him, digging into some school food.

"Why Seth." Brady said, being melodramatic. "I am shocked that you would even ask such a question. It was you silly."

I groaned. "I'm beginning to wonder why I ever told you that."

Erin giggled. "Brady, why don' you try to find yourself an imprint?" she asked. "Maybe then you wouldn't feel so left out."

He shook his head. "Nah. You see, having an imprint sounds good, but you're tied down to one girl forever. And if she doesn't want to be with you, then you're forever heartbroken and chasing after some dream that's never going to come true."

"But, if she wants to be with you then you're forever happy." Erin told him, looking a little surprised that Brady didn't want an imprint. I wasn't. He'd been saying this for a while. When he actually imprinted then it would be a whole different story.

"I'm not much of a risk taker." Brady told her. The liar.

Erin sighed and decided to skip the argument. We all went back to eating in silence.

I watched Erin out of the corner of my eye. She looked sad and was playing with her food instead of eating it. This was very unusual. She was usually always happy and she ate just about as much as I did.

I nudged her and her green eyes found mine. "Hey, you okay?" I asked, concerned.

She nodded slowly. "I'm fine." she mumbled. "Just a little tired. It's been a long day. I'll go home and take a nap and feel better."

I nodded, but somehow knew that she was lying to me. Whatever was wrong with Erin was not just going to go away. I vowed that if she wasn't better by tomorrow I'd take her to Carlisle. Good thing school started on a Friday this year.

**I hope you guys liked this chapter. Sorry it's not longer, but I've been sick all week. I should be better soon, so you'll have an exciting chapter to make up for this next week. Until then. See you guys later.**


	22. Feelings

"_You think I look the best, when my hair is a mess. I can't believe you exist. I could get used to this." -- from The Veronicas 'I Could Get Used To This'_

Seth's POV

I knew Jacob would kill me if I went off patrol, but there was nothing to patrol. All was quiet, as usual. I didn't need to be on watch. What I needed to be doing was checking on Erin. She had said she'd be taking a nap right after school and I just wanted to make sure she wasn't getting really sick or anything. I worried about her a lot. It comes with the imprinting thing. I felt that she needed me.

With that thought I ran off towards Erin's house in wolf form with a pair of jeans in my mouth. Screw Jacob. My imprint was more important to me than anything else. Besides, Forks and La Push were as safe as safe could be. At the moment anyway.

It didn't take me long at all to reach Erin's house. It was almost nightfall and the sky was a lovely shade of pink with some purple and blue clouds in the distance. The sun had already sunk behind the horizon. But, no time to admire the scenery.

I phased back, pulled up my pants as fast as I possibly could, and climbed up the tree to Erin's window.

I sat and stared at her for a minute and was not happy with what I saw. She was tossing and turning and I could hear her groaning through the crack in her window. I pulled it up, climbed into her bedroom, and tiptoed to her bed all without making a single loud noise.

"Erin." I whispered, placing my hands on her shoulders. She felt like she was on fire. "Erin, it's me Seth. Wake up."

She jolted awake, looking frightened. She noticed me and put her head on my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around her and she did the same thing to me, sobbing. She was shaking like a leaf and couldn't talk for several minutes.

"Oh Seth." she whispered when she finally caught her breath. "I'm so glad you're here. It was awful."

I patted her back gently. "It's okay. You're safe. I promise I won't leave you." I continued to pat her back, reassuring her that everything was going to be all right. That must have been some nightmare. I'd never seen her like this before.

"It was terrible." she muttered, clinging onto me. "An awful dream. It was so real though."

"Sometimes dreams only seem that way." I told her, stroking her hair. "It's all over now. Everything's okay. I'm here with you. You're safe and sound."

Erin pulled away from me and laid back down. "Yes. But this nightmare will never go away, Seth. It's going to haunt me until I die." She stared straight ahead for a minute and then she turned to look at me quizzically. "I never told you, did I Seth? I never told you what happened?"

"What happened when?" I asked, lying beside her.

"The night my parents died."

She never had told me the story in much detail, so I shook my head. I had always been curious, but I didn't think it would be good to bring it up. I knew she would tell me when she was ready.

"It was the middle of November and it had been snowing a lot. The roads were really icy." she began. "It was my parents' anniversary and I had told them they should go out and eat somewhere. They agreed on the condition that I would go with them.

"It was a lot of fun. We stayed out for a couple of hours and then drove around for a while." A tear fell from her eye. "That's when things went wrong. We were hit by a drunk driver and went spinning. I don't remember much else. I woke up in the hospital. They all told me that it was a miracle that I was living. My parents hadn't been so fortunate.

"I lived with my friend Jamie Woods and her family until after New Year. That's when I came here." She burst into tears.

I wrapped my arms around her, ignoring how warm she was. I'd worry about that later. Right now, she needed me to make her feel better emotionally. I'd visit her in the morning and if she looked sick or was any warmer I'd drag her to Carlisle.

"Thanks Seth." she whispered. She pulled back and then looked at me as if she were seeing me for the first time. "Seth! What are you doing here?!" she shouted in a harsh whisper. "If Brian catches you in here we are so beyond dead!"

I didn't want her in any trouble, so I slowly stood up. "Okay, okay. I'll go." I backed up towards the window.

"No." she told me, stopping me. "I don't want you to go. I need you here."

"But you just said-"

"Forget what I just said." she ordered. "Who cares what Brian says anyhow? I need you to stay with me. At least until I'm asleep."

I sighed and walked back over towards her. I knelt at her bedside and took her hands in mine. "Okay. I'll stay right here." I kissed her hands gently. "I won't go anywhere until you're asleep."

Erin smiled and then shook her head, pulling back the covers. "I need you here." she whispered. "It's the only way I'll be able to fall asleep."

I looked at her warily and then slowly nodded in agreement. I pulled the covers back down, covering the bed, and laid down beside her. I then wrapped my arms around her.

She laid her head on my chest. "I love you so much Seth." she whispered sleepily. "You just have no idea." She chuckled, "I swear, it's almost like when you imprinted on me, I imprinted on you."

I went very still. For some reason that thought made me feel… weird. "Only almost?" I joked, chuckling weakly.

She sighed contently. "Well, it's only almost because I'm not a werewolf." She yawned. "I sometimes wish I was though."

"Why?" I asked.

"I'd… get to spend more time with you. Jacob could let us… patrol together. If any vampires attacked, I could fight with you… instead of waiting and not knowing." I could tell she was drifting. At least this answered the question of what she dreamed about.

"And what makes you think I'd let you fight vampires?" I asked her. I hoped we wouldn't have a vampire attack. Not with Erin around. If anything happened to her, I'd die.

She smiled. "I'd make you. Just like… I made you let me play football against Jacob." She yawned. "I have you wrapped around my finger you know."

I chuckled. "Yeah, you do." I whispered, kissing the top of her head.

"But that's okay." she whispered. "You don't mind."

I shook my head. "No, I don't mind."

"We're going to be together forever. Right Seth?" Erin asked.

"Of course." I told her.

"And we're going to have a huge family right? Tons of little werewolves running around the place." I never actually thought about that.

"Uh huh." I told her. "A huge family."

"And you're all going to out live me." she mumbled.

I didn't say anything about that. I was still planning on convincing her to let me stop phasing someday.

"I never… had one you know." she said after a minute of silence. "A huge family I mean. It was just me and my parents. I have a cousin Marissa on my mom's side of the family. Mari. I used to see her all the time. She just finished college, I think. Then there was Uncle Brian and Aunt Jessi on Dad's side. That's it."

"Really?" I asked.

She nodded. "Both of my parents were adopted. Didn't have much family. I don't know what happened to all of them."

"That sucks." I told her.

She sighed. "I guess. But it doesn't matter. Thanks to you, I have a ton of family. The pack and the Cullens."

"Happy to help." I told her, kissing her head again.

She didn't say anything. I could only hear her breathing in and out. I looked at her and saw that her eyes were closed. She had fallen asleep.

I laid there for a moment, not wanting to disturb her. I thought about what we had talked about. The huge family part was possible, but I doubted we'd all out live her. I figured I would stop phasing after a while. I also figured our children would never phase at all. If the Cullens left then no new werewolves would ever be made. It took a vampire to make a wolf phase for the first time. They couldn't live in Forks forever. If it wasn't for Charlie they'd have left years ago and Jake would've went with them.

I then decided I should be heading home. I slipped out of Erin's bed, trying hard not to wake her up. She mumbled, "Forever." and turned over on her side when I got up, but that was all. I quietly slipped out of her window, shutting it behind me.

I dropped straight out of the tree and turned around, shocked. I was face to face with Jacob.

"What're you doing here?" I asked him.

"I could ask you the same question." he replied.

I waved at Erin's window. "I've been worried about her Jacob. She's always really warm and-"

"What have I told you?" Jacob asked, interrupting me. "She's warm all the time because you're always around her. You're worrying over nothing."

"Jacob, it's more than that." I told him. "I feel like something's wrong with her. I don't know what, but I can feel it."

Jacob simply sighed and said, "You aren't going to drop this are you?"

I shook my head. "I can't." I told him. "Think about it. If it was Nessie, wouldn't you be really worried?"

Jacob sighed and nodded. "Yeah, but nothing like that'll ever happen to her. She's part vampire."

"Exactly." I said. "Erin's all human. Terrible things can happen to her. We put her in danger just by knowing her. If the Volturi came back and discovered that another human knew so much about vampires… We can't turn Erin into a vampire. They'd kill her." I shuddered at that thought. I could picture Erin, lying dead, drained of her blood. It scared me.

"Well, you know what Edward said." Jacob told me, trying to make me feel a bit better. "They have no sense of time. Erin could be long dead of old age by the time they come back."

I sighed. "Yeah." I turned to the house. "Come on." I told Jake. "Let's get outta here before Erin's uncle sees us and calls the cops."

"Would he really do that to his niece's boyfriend?" Jacob asked, raising his eyebrows in disbelief.

I nodded. "Erin says he not too friendly. 'Sides, he's never met me before. He wouldn't know who I am."

Jacob nodded and we started running, phasing as we went. Something deep inside me was telling me I was definitely taking Erin to see Carlisle in the morning. Usually, my gut feelings are right so this did not lessen my worries. It made them much, much worse.

**Yeah, I posted early. So, what do you think? Good chapter? Bad chapter? Was it long enough? I'm sorry if it wasn't, but I've been really sick guys. My hearing is messed up and I'm on medicine and I had to get tested for swine flu. Thank goodness the test came out negative. However, I have a sinus infection which makes my doctor think that my sinuses have drained into my ears. Joy. Well, leave a nice long review. Maybe that will make me feel better. See ya!**


	23. Discovery

"_The planets all aligned when you looked into my eyes and just like that, the chemicals react." -- from Aly and AJ 'Chemicals React'_

Erin's POV

After a night of terrible sleep, I was awakened by someone kissing me. I slowly opened my bleary eyes and found myself staring into a pair of deep brown eyes. I sat up in my bed and suddenly became aware of a splitting headache. It felt like someone cracked my skull.

"Uhh." I moaned as Seth's face came into focus.

"Mornin' Sleeping Beauty." he told me happily.

"I don't know if it's such a good morning." I mumbled, wishing he wasn't there while I probably looked like a wreck.

"You're right." he told me. "It's not a good morning. It's actually one in the afternoon."

"What?" I asked, becoming a little more alert. "Are you kidding me? It's one already. How long have you been here?"

"About ten minutes." he told me. "I came by earlier, but you were still sleeping so I left." He took a good look at me and said, "You don't feel so good do you?"

I shook my head, making it hurt more. "I feel awful. I have a headache."

He nodded. "Anything else? You look really pale."

"My throat is sore and I feel like puking." I admitted.

He placed the back of his hand on my forehead, frowning. "You feel warmer than usual. Erin, I'm taking you to Carlisle."

I didn't feel like arguing with him so I let him pick me up and carry me to my door. It was then that I realized something. "You can't carry me out of the house. Brian will see."

He shook his head. "He's not home. The car's gone." With that he opened the door and carried me downstairs and out of the door.

"Seth, how are we going to get there?" I asked him. "If you run, I'll puke."

He grinned. "I thought of that. I parked my car away from your house just in case."

Normally I would've been mad about that, but I was too sick to care. I let Seth carry me down the road and then sit me in the front seat of his car. I closed my eyes and rested while he drove all the way to the Cullen's.

Before I knew it, Seth had stopped the car and opened up my door. He unbuckled me and then picked me up and carried me to the door. He then rang the doorbell and I heard footsteps on the stairs.

"You're gonna be okay." he whispered to me. "Carlisle will take care of you. He'll make you feel better."

The door opened and I heard Bella say, "Seth? What's going on? What's wrong with Erin?"

"She's sick, Bella." Seth explained to his step-sister. "Is Carlisle home? I need him to take a look at her."

"Uh… yeah. Let me get him." Bella said. "Come inside and head to the living room."

Seth walked into the house and I heard the door shut and Bella shout, "Carlisle! Come downstairs! Erin's sick!"

I felt Seth lay me down on the couch and I cracked my eyes open. He was looking down at me, concerned.

"It'll be okay." he promised me.

I smiled at him. "I know it will."

I heard Carlisle enter the room. "Seth, what seems to be wrong with her?" he asked in a calm, quiet voice that made me feel so much better.

"She's got a headache, a sore throat, and she said she feels like puking." Seth told him.

"Anything else?"

Seth seemed to hesitate for a moment. "Well, she's… really warm."

"So, she has a fever?"

"Uh… I guess."

"For how long?"

"Since… well, since I met her actually."

"That's odd." Carlisle muttered. He then turned to me. "Erin, could you sit up for me?"

I nodded and slowly sat up, feeling very dizzy. Carlisle proceeded to checking me out.

"Well, it seems that you have a virus." Carlisle said when his examination was complete.

"What about the fever?" Seth asked.

Before Carlisle could answer, I heard Jacob, Edward, Bella, and Nessie come in the living room.

"What's wrong?" Nessie asked.

"Erin has a virus." Seth answered.

"What's this I hear about a fever?" Jacob asked.

"I was getting to that." Carlisle told them. He turned to me again. "Erin, do you know if you have any Quileute blood?"

The atmosphere in the room changed abruptly. I was pretty sure not even Jacob and Seth were breathing.

"Uh… not that I know of. Both of my parents were adopted. All I know is that my dad was born in Washington and my mom was born in Oregon." I told him, wondering what he was getting at.

"Carlisle, are you sure?" Edward asked after a minute of silence. I assumed they had just had a mind conversation.

"It makes sense Edward. Jacob, I'm sure you would agree." Carlisle said.

"Billy said he thought it might be possible, but I told him there was no way." Jacob said nervously.

"It can't be." Seth said in disbelief. "There's just no way."

"You have to admit Seth, it does make sense." Bella said.

"How? How does this even make remote sense?" Seth asked, plopping down on the couch.

"Okay, what are you all talking about? What doesn't make sense Seth?" I asked. What were they all talking about? What was wrong?

"Carlisle thinks you're a werewolf." Edward explained.

My jaw dropped to the floor. "How? That can't be. Can it?"

Carlisle sighed. "It's possible. You don't know anything about either of your parents' families. One of them could've had Quileute ancestors."

"But, I've been around you guys for ages. Wouldn't I have phased by now?" I asked.

That seemed to be some kind of ray of light for Seth. "She's right Carlisle."

"If it's really far down her blood line she wouldn't be able to phase. It'd be too distant." Carlisle explained.

"Maybe he's right." Jacob said.

"It doesn't make sense." Seth said again. "It just doesn't make any sense at all."

"Seth, I didn't tell you this, but when we had that football game Erin managed to tackle me and it actually hurt." Jacob told him. "She seems to be really strong."

"She can run very fast too." Edward said. "She once ran all the way here and wasn't out of breath."

I had to admit, it did make a lot of sense. It explained why Brian could never hurt me. It explained that no matter how hard he hit me I never got so much as a bruise. But there was still a couple of questions.

"If I can't phase then am I aging?" I asked.

"To answer that, I would have to ask you a question." Carlisle told me. "Now, think back. Do you ever remembering seeing a vampire? Anyone who looked like us? At anytime in your life?"

I thought back and suddenly I remembered something. "When I was thirteen I remember seeing this girl with red hair running in the woods. I was riding the bus home and I caught a glimpse of her. I saw her again a few days later."

"Victoria." Edward growled.

"It fits." Jacob said. "It happened around that time. But, would that be enough?"

"Well, considering that she has a temperature of about 103 degrees, I'd say so." Carlisle said. "You don't get that temperature until you're about to begin phasing."

Jacob shook his head. "No, you don't."

"So, I'm dating a thirteen year old?" Seth managed to squeak.

"Seth, technically you're fourteen." Edward reminded him.

"Oh, right." Seth said, getting his voice back.

"So, Erin's a wolf?" Nessie asked.

"It seems so." Carlisle said.

"That would explain why Alice can't 'see' her."

"Wait, she can't 'see' me?" I asked curiously.

Everyone, except Seth, nodded. "She tried once and couldn't get much of anything." Bella said.

I sighed. So not only did I have a virus, but I was a werewolf. Er, shapeshifter. Whichever. And here I thought that my life couldn't get any stranger. I thought it was weird when I found out my best friend was a werewolf, his friends were vampires, and that I was his soul mate, but this just really took the cake.

"Erin, are you okay?" Carlisle asked.

I nodded slowly. "Uh… so what am I supposed to do about this virus?" I asked.

Carlisle smiled. "Well, I'm not your regular doctor so I can't prescribe any medication for you. The best thing I can tell you to do is get plenty of rest, drink plenty of fluids, eat some soup, and maybe take an Advil."

"I'll make sure she does." Seth said.

"Thanks everyone." I whispered.

Seth and I stood up and we walked out of the house. Seth opened his car door as I climbed inside, shut it, and then got in himself. We drove in silence for awhile. It was agonizing.

"Seth, are you mad?" I asked when I wasn't able to stand the quiet anymore.

He looked at me, startled. "Mad? How can I be mad? This isn't your fault. If it's in your blood, it's in your blood. It can't be helped."

"You just seem mad." I told him.

He sighed. "Well, I am. But I'm mad at myself."

"For what?"

"I should've figured it out." he told me. "Now that I think about it, it's so obvious. I should've realized it the day Alice said you smelled like a wolf."

I laughed at him. "You should've realized? I'm the one who should've realized what was going on as soon as you told me all that stuff about being a werewolf."

"Well, I guess it's settled then." Seth said. "I'm never going to stop phasing because I never have to worry about you dying from old age."

I smiled at that thought. Now we both got exactly what we wanted. Suddenly the world seemed better. Life seemed sweeter. Like Dad used to say: Everything happens for a reason.

**Voila! How did you like that chapter? Now you know what Erin is. Technically she's a werewolf, but then again she's not. She doesn't actually turn into a wolf. Maybe she will one day, but I don't know about that. So, leave me a nice long review. See you next week.**


	24. Sounds Like Life To Me

"_Well, that's alright, that's okay. If you don't feel important, honey all I've got to say is to the world, you may be just another girl, but to me, baby, you are the world."-- from Brad Paisley 'The World'_

Seth's POV

It was Sunday, the day after I found out what was wrong with Erin. Somehow finding out that she was a werewolf (sort of) made me feel even more worried about her. I suppose it was because I knew what a burden it could be. Then there was also Leah's theories about herself. Sure, Leah hadn't exactly proved them, but she hadn't disproved them either.

I had decided I'd better go and check on Erin since she was sick. So, after checking in with Jacob, that's exactly what I did. At exactly eleven o'clock I climbed through her bedroom window. It was beginning to become sort of a routine.

Erin wasn't in her bed. My heart went into overtime. Where was she? Did something happen to her? I mean, if I could climb into her bedroom window couldn't someone else? Had she been kidnapped?

As I panicked, I heard the door knob jiggle. Before I could even react, the door pulled open and Erin walked in the room in a hot pink robe. When she noticed me, she let out a shriek.

"Seth!" she yelped in embarrassment. "What are you doing here?!"

I quickly covered my eyes with my hands. I was just as embarrassed as she was. "I was just making sure you were okay." I told her defensively. "I didn't know you'd be in the shower."

She started giggling. "I think we're going to need some kind of system." I heard her closet door slam shut.

"Yeah, that would be good." I told her, my eyes still shut. "So, I take it that you feel better?"

"Uh huh." she told me. "I woke up and felt great. Think it had anything to do with my great nurse?"

I smiled. Before I took her home from the Cullen's I had stopped at the store and gotten her some ginger ale, chicken soup, and ice cream. Then I took her home and fed her and watched an episode of House with her before I went home.

"Maybe." I teased. "But it was more likely that you got over it fast due to the werewolf blood. We don't stay sick or injured for long."

She chuckled. "Well, I'm going to the bathroom to change. I'll be back soon." I heard the door shut behind her, so I opened my eyes.

That had not been the greatest moment of my life. If the guys heard about it… I shuddered at that thought. Brady and Jacob would be revolting. The others wouldn't be much better, but those two would be the worst.

I sighed and sat on the edge of her bed with my head in my hands. Talk about being mortified.

Five minutes later, I heard the bedroom door open again. I looked up and saw Erin standing in the doorway, smiling at me. She had a bright yellow headband in her hair and a pair of hot pink earrings shaped like stars. Her shirt was plain white and had long sleeves and she was wearing her black skinny jeans with her purple converses.

I couldn't help whispering "Wow." when I looked at her. Her smile only got bigger and brighter. She walked over to her bed, sat down next to me, and kissed my lips. How lucky was I?

When she pulled her lips from mine, she looked at me with those big green eyes and said, "So what are we going to do today?"

I was content to just sit in her room and look at her all day. I'd touch her face once in a while to just make sure she existed and that she wasn't just some figment of my imagination.

However, I said, "Well, Sam actually wants to talk to you. The whole pack's at his house waiting to see you."

She smiled. "Sounds fun. Your mom gonna be there?"

I shook my head. "No, but Billy will be. He's been wanting to see you for quite a while now."

"Okay." she said jumping up. "Let's go."

Suddenly, I heard something vibrate in a drawer of her desk. She sighed and walked over to it, pulling out a cell phone.

"I didn't know you had a phone." I said as she checked her text message.

"I don't use it much." She looked at her phone. "How did Jacob get my number?"

I shook my head. "Who knows? What does it say?"

A smile crept on her lips. "It says, 'You and Sethie better hurry up. Emily won't let us eat until you get here and Embry's getting mad. You know how he is when it comes to food. Nessie's here. She says hi. Well, hurry.'"

I groaned and slapped my hand on my forehead. "I told him not to call me that." I grumbled.

"Maybe I should start calling you that." she joked. "What do you think, Sethie?"

I groaned again. "I'd really rather you didn't."

She chuckled. "Don't worry. I won't." She smirked and added, "Much."

I just sighed and opened up her window. I climbed down the tree first and waited for Erin at the bottom. She was halfway down when she slipped and fell. Miraculously, I caught her in my arms.

"My hero." she teased, grinning.

I laughed and put her down. "Did you do that on purpose?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe."

I shook my head and we had a race to see who got to Emily and Sam's the fastest. Erin won. I was a good sport about it though. Unfortunately, Jacob was standing on the porch and saw the whole thing.

"Hey Sethie, get beat by a girl did you?" he teased.

I just smirked and said, "Don't make me let her tackle you Jake. I wouldn't want her to have to hurt you."

Right before an argument broke out, Billy wheeled himself onto the porch. "Now, that's enough you two. Jake, go on inside."

Jacob just shook his head and headed back into the house. I noticed Nessie looking at us in the kitchen window, so I waved before turning to Billy.

"So, how's it feel knowing you're one of these yahoos?" Billy asked Erin jokingly.

She smiled. "Jake said you thought I was all along."

Billy nodded. "You'd have to be with a temperature that high. Besides, every wolf has their own distinct smell. I knew the smell hadn't rubbed off on you from anyone in the pack, because it was different. Not as strong."

She giggled. "Nice to know that I don't stink as bad as them."

"A bit of a silver lining." Billy said. "But, you need to be careful. This wolf thing is now your secret too. If anyone found out… well, there'd be blackmail among various other things."

Erin nodded. "I'll be careful Billy."

"Make sure no one ever tails you, human or otherwise." he warned.

"Don't scare her Billy!"

I turned around to see Sam standing in the doorway. He closed the front door and walked over to us.

"How are you doing Erin?" he asked her calmly.

"Pretty good." she answered. "How are you Sam?"

He shrugged. "I've been better."

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

He sighed and put his hands into his pockets. Oh no. I knew what that meant. Sam had something on his mind.

"Well, you technically have to pick a pack to join." he explained. "I assume you'd pick Jacob's because of Seth, but I still wanted to give you an option."

She smiled. "Thanks, but I think I will be in Jacob's pack."

He nodded. "Well, since you've decided that, let's go eat."

I wondered why Sam wanted Erin to pick a pack to be in. It wasn't like she needed to. However, I didn't say anything. I just followed Sam, Billy, and Erin into the small kitchen.

The first thing that happened when we came inside was that Brady said, "Finally! Took you long enough. I'm starved." He then piled as much food on his plate as possible and began stuffing his face. Everyone else followed suit.

I shook my head as I grabbed a seat next to Erin. I looked around at my crazy friends and my imprint. What would I ever do without any of them?

**Sorry that it's pretty short guys. I tried to make it longer, but what I had put in made no sense whatsoever. I hope you can forgive me. I have excellent news though. I'm making two more Twilight fanfics that sort of go with this one. I won't be posting them for a while, but I thought I'd give you a heads up. They're called 'Sparks' and 'Like Lightning' and I'm sure you'll love them. Until next week, catch you guys later.**


	25. Nice Surprises

"_How could you know that behind my eyes a sad girl cried? And how could you know that I hurt so much inside? And how could you know that I'm not the average girl? I'm carrying the weight of the world." --from Anneliese Van Der Pol 'Over It'_

Erin's POV

I knew I was late. My curfew is at ten and it was a little after midnight. I might have been able to get home faster if I had taken Seth up on his offer to drive me home. However, I had decided to run home. I may have overestimated my werewolf speed just a little. Did I actually expect to be anywhere nears as fast as the other wolves? I knew the only reason I beat Seth in that race was because he had slowed down for my sake. I barely had any wolf blood at all. But, it was too late now. The damage was done and I would have to face the consequences.

I slowly pulled open the door. I heard nothing. No Brian screaming, no TV blaring, no Brian snoring. I cautiously peeked into the living room. He wasn't there. I peeked out the window. Brian's car was missing from the driveway. How didn't I notice that? Where was he? Did I really care? As long as he wasn't yelling at me, forcing me to clean something, grounding me, or hitting me I was happy.

I thundered up the stairs to my room. I slowly pulled open the door and found Seth, sitting on my bed grinning at me hugely. I couldn't help but smile back. That smile always made my day.

"What're you doing in here?" I asked, sitting down next to him.

He wrapped his arms around me and rested his chin on my shoulder. "I followed you home to make sure you were safe." His warm breath tickled my face. "Then I noticed your uncle was gone and I thought you might like some company."

"How thoughtful." I told him, smiling.

He kissed me on the cheek. "That's the kinda guy I am."

"Tell your mom I said thanks." I told him.

"For what?" he asked curiously.

I chuckled. "For making you the way you are." I answered. "She did a great job with you."

He chuckled too. "Ok, I'll tell her." We sat in silence for a while before my cell phone rang.

Seth let go of me and I took the phone out of my pocket. Why was Kendra calling me at almost one in the morning? I put my finger to my mouth, signaling Seth to be quiet, and then answered the phone.

"Kendra?" I asked, faking a yawn. "Why are you calling so early?"

"Sorry to wake you." my best friend said in her Montana accent. "It's just that I'm at the barn right now." Kendra's dad kept a stable with some horses on his property.

"Why are you at the barn this early?" I asked, yawning again. This sounded important.

"Well, Sassy foaled!" she shouted excitedly.

I jumped out of my bed, giving Seth quite a fright. "Are you serious?!" Sassy was my horse. Kendra had given her to me to ride when we were in the fourth grade. I was the one who got to take of her and everything. Everyone, including Kendra's parents, called her my horse even though I didn't legally own her. "I didn't even know she was pregnant!"

Kendra laughed. "I know. I purposely didn't tell you. She just had the baby an hour ago."

"Boy or girl?" I asked, excitedly.

"Boy." she answered automatically. "So, do you want to pick out the name? Dad said he's technically your horse too."

"Are you kidding?" I squealed. "Tell your dad thank you so freakin' much." I turned to Seth and smiled hugely. He just shrugged and grinned. I'd have to explain later. "What's he look like?" Sassy was a grey Appaloosa, but I didn't know what the dad looked like.

"Dark brown Appaloosa." she told me.

Hmm. I had a name, but I wanted to ask Seth. "Hold on a sec Kendra." I told her. I put the receiver to my chest.

"Hey Seth." I whispered. "My horse, Sassy, just had a baby."

He smiled. "Cool. I didn't even know you had a horse."

I chuckled. "Well, she's not legally mine." I sighed. "Anyway, the foal's a boy and he's dark brown and spotted."

"Okay." Seth said, wondering where I was getting at.

"Well, since he kind of looks like Quil as a wolf I was wondering if it would be okay to name the baby after him." I felt that I had to ask someone's permission and since Seth was standing there I felt that he was the perfect candidate.

He shrugged. "Should be okay. S'long as you don't tell her exactly why."

I nodded. "Of course." I got back on the phone. "Hey, Kendra. What about 'Quil' for the name?"

"Q-U-I-L?" she asked.

"Yeah. Short for Quileute. Also the name of a friend of mine. You know I hang down at La Push all the time." I told her.

"Hold on. Let me ask Dad." I waited a second and heard Kendra and her dad have a whispered conversation. A minute later Kendra got back on the phone. "He said that's fine."

"Great." I said, sighing. "Wish I could come up and see him. Sassy too."

"Why can't you?" Kendra asked, surprised.

"Brian would never let me go up there." I explained. "He's kind of strict."

"He can't be any worse than my dad." Kendra said. Mr. Taylor was very old fashioned.

"Trust me. Brian just won't listen to anything." I told her. "Your dad can be reasoned with."

"Want him to talk to your uncle? Maybe he could work something out."

"No." I told her automatically. Why did everyone want to try and negotiate with Brian? "It'd just make things worse."

"Okay." Kendra said as though she wasn't completely convinced. "Well, I have good news."

"What?" I asked.

"My dad's got business in Seattle. He's letting me come with him. He'll drive my truck down there and then he'll be taking a taxi wherever he's got to go and I can drive up to Forks and visit with you."

I squealed as loudly as I could and Seth put his hands over his ears and cringed jokingly. "That's awesome! When? Where are you staying? How long will you be here?" I missed my best friend so much.

Kendra laughed. "Calm down Erin." she told me. "It'll be around the end of September on a weekend. Me and Dad will be leaving that Friday after school. Then I'm coming up to Forks on Saturday. I get to spend the whole day with you. Then we're leaving Sunday. We're staying at some hotel in Seattle."

"That's a month away!" I shouted. "You have to bring pictures of Quil. I can't wait to see you."

"I can't wait to see you either. You have to introduce me to everyone. Especially that boyfriend of yours." I could tell she was grinning mischievously. "Jamie's proud of you. She said your finally getting girly. I'm just happy that you're happy. He sounds awesome."

I giggled. "Of course you get to meet him. Ooh. I can't wait. We can hang out with the guys for awhile and then maybe Alice, Nessie, Scout, and Bella can come shopping with us or something. You have to meet the Cullens too."

"Sounds great." she told me. "Well, I have to go. School in the morning and all of that. See you Erin."

"Bye Kendra." I hung up the phone.

"You know a person is loud when you can hear everything they say on a phone conversation." Seth said, chuckling.

"Yeah, well, you have that super werewolf hearing." I reminded him.

"True." he laughed. "But she seemed excited."

I nodded. "She's heard so much about you guys. I'm telling you, when she gets here she'll be able to tell who is who without having ever seen so much as a picture of them before."

"Well, she got one thing absolutely right." Seth said. "It's late and you need to get to sleep. We got school."

I frowned. "What about you?"

He chuckled. "I'm used to not getting enough sleep. Patrol and all that."

"I'm used to no sleep too." I reminded him. "Hanging around werewolves and vampires all day and then having to do my homework at night."

Seth shook his head. "School's only been in session for a day. You haven't gotten any homework."

I punched him lightly on the arm. "I guess you're right."

"As always." he said, kissing the top of my head. "Your uncle's back." he informed me. "I hear him pulling up."

I sighed, hearing him too. "You better get out of here."

"Wait for him to get in the house." he told me. "If I left now he'd see me."

I nodded and we stood in silence, waiting for the front door to shut. When we heard it, Seth climbed out the window. "See you in the morning love."

Love? He'd never called me that before. I thought I told him no frilly nicknames. Oh well, I kinda liked it. I had a hunch that he picked it up from Edward. I might have to thank him for that later.

"Bye." I whispered. He jumped out of the tree and I added, "Sethie."

**Sweet huh? So, in a few chapters you get to meet Kendra Taylor. I have no idea when I'm going to be updating again. I hope it'll be soon. If you guys have any ideas for a new chapter, let me know. Well, review. See you later.**


	26. Monday Morning Blues

"_I don't want another pretty face. I don't want just anyone to hold. I don't want my love to go to waste. I want you and your beautiful soul. You're the one I wanna chase. You're the one I wanna hold. I won't let another minute go to waste. I want you and your beautiful soul."--from Jesse McCartney 'Beautiful Soul'_

Seth's POV

"Good-bye Seth." Erin had just uttered the saddest sentence I'd ever heard. We had just gotten to school and she was headed up the stairs to her locker while I took a left and walked towards mine.

_Four and a half hours. _I reminded myself as I opened my locker door. _Just four and a half hours 'till lunch. I can hold on. I have to hold on._

I grabbed a couple books out of my locker and then felt a light tap on my shoulder. I turned around, coming face to face with Dakota Grant. She was tall and fairly pretty, but I only really noticed how Erin looked.

"Seth Clearwater, look at you." she said, smirking. "Did you get any taller over the summer?"

I shrugged, slamming my locker door. "I don't think so."

She grinned slyly. "Well, I think you have. At least a of couple inches."

"Uh, Dakota is there any particular reason you wanna talk to me, 'cause I really gotta get going." I told her, shifting my weight from foot to foot impatiently.

"I'm in your first period." she said, looking a slight bit offended.

"Right." I said, nervously. "Can we walk and talk?" I asked her.

She shrugged. "Fine with me."

We began walking and I said, "So, what did you want with me?"

She started grinning again. "Well, we have that back to school dance this weekend."

A dance? This weekend? I wondered if Erin would want to go. I mean, I couldn't dance, but I'd get Edward to teach me if she really wanted to go.

"Seth, did you hear me?" Dakota asked, taking me out of my thoughts of dancing with Erin.

"Huh?" I asked, blinking a few times. "Sorry Dakota. What were you saying? I spaced out for a second."

She sighed heavily. "I asked if you maybe wanted to go to the dance with me. It'd be so much fun."

I shook my head. "Sorry Dakota. Taken."

"Who asked you?" she demanded. She looked extremely angry and I suddenly realized why. I was Dakota's new 'guy' for the year. Every year she picked a guy that she would go after. They usually ended up dating after a while. It'd been going on since middle school. It looked like I was it this year.

"No one." I assured her. "I have a girlfriend already. I didn't hear about the dance. I'm gonna ask her if she would like to go." I explained. It was better to set her straight now. I was Erin's and I was not going to leave her. I couldn't leave her. She was my imprint and that was that.

"What?" she growled. "You haven't dated anyone ever and now all of a sudden you have a girlfriend!" People started to stare and I felt embarrassed.

It was true that I'd never dated anyone before Erin. I had wanted to wait for my imprint. I wanted her to be my very first kiss. I thought it was more romantic, more… special.

"It just kind of happened over the summer." I explained, hoping that she would calm down some. She was beginning to scare me. That was pretty bad considering that I was a _werewolf _who fought _vampires_.

"Who?" she asked, her jaw clenched.

"Erin Morgan." I told her. "She's new here."

"Wait, you mean that junior who transferred here from Forks?" Dakota asked incredulously. "You're dating her? Why?"

I shrugged. "I really can't explain it Dakota. She's amazing. I love her. That's all." I told her, as we walked into our classroom.

"But, she's not even that pretty. What do you see in her?" she asked. It was as if I was explaining some totally alien concept to her.

I sighed, sitting my books in my seat. "She's beautiful to me and that's all that matters." I sat at my desk and faced the front of the room. This discussion was over. Dakota needed to learn that she wasn't always going to get what she wanted.

She glared at me the whole class period. I pretended to ignore her and did all of my work. When the bell to second period sounded, I was extremely happy. I'd be away from Dakota for the rest of the day. It also meant that I was closer to having lunch with Erin.

_Just three more hours now. _I reminded myself. _Just three hours 'till lunch. I can hold on. I have to hold on. For Erin. For my sanity. _

**Sorry that it's really short. The next one will be a little longer, but not by much. This is off topic, but did you notice the song excerption I had at the top? I think 'Beautiful Soul' is the perfect imprinting song. Updating soon.**


	27. Matchmaker

"_And everyone that sees you always wants to know you and everyone that knows you always has a smile. You're the dream that I've been chasing after years of waiting for a chance to finally shine. Everyone calls you amazing, I just call you mine."--from Martina McBride 'I Just Call You Mine'_

Erin's POV

"All right, class. We have fifteen minutes of class time left." Ms. Steele said, clapping her hands. "Time to clean up. You all should know where everything belongs by now."

The class instantly sprung to life. It had been very quiet in my first period art class. Ms. Steele wanted to see what we could do. She told us to do a project that we were passionate about. She said we'd be finished at the end of the week and then we'd get into some other stuff. I had been doing a chalk drawing of a wolf. A sandy wolf as a matter of fact.

I walked over to the sink because, unfortunately, chalk is very messy and my hands were covered in it. As soon as I washed up, I turned around and came face to face with a guy. He pretty much looked like most of the guys on the rez. He was tall and lanky, but he had a very cute smile and his dark hair fell into his dark eyes. He was holding up my drawing.

"This yours?" he asked.

I nodded. "Why? Did it fall on the ground or something?"

He shook his head. "Nah, I just think it's really good." he said politely. "You like wolves?"

I smirked and chuckled. "You could say I have sort of an obsession with them." I walked back to my table and he followed me with my drawing.

"So, you're Erin Morgan, right?" he asked me, sitting my drawing back down on the table.

"Uh, last time I checked I was." I joked.

He laughed. "Nice." he said. "Well, I'm Hunter Konner."

"Nice to meet you Hunter." I said, putting away the chalk I had been using. Hunter placed his hand on mine, stopping me. Oh no. This couldn't be good.

"Hey, listen. There's a dance coming up. I was wondering… I mean, if no one's asked you then maybe you'd like to-"

"I have a boyfriend." I told him abruptly. I didn't want him getting the wrong idea or anything. "I'm sorry."

He looked down at the ground. "Oh. Really? Too bad. It might've been really fun."

I sighed. "I really am sorry. Don't get upset. There are plenty of other girls at this school."

He shoved his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, I guess. Maybe you could, y'know, save me a dance?" he asked.

I smiled. I didn't see why I couldn't as long as it was okay with Seth and Hunter didn't try anything. Somehow, I knew I wouldn't have to worry about either. "Sure. Not a slow one though."

He nodded, seeming happier. "Of course." He went silent for a second and then said, "Just out of curiosity, who are you dating?" he asked.

"Seth Clearwater." I told him. "Do you know him?"

Hunter rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I know him. We used to hang out a lot. That changed about three years ago when he started hanging around Jacob Black and avoiding me though."

Oh. That must've been when Seth started phasing. Well, it made sense. Seth couldn't explain why he would start to run off at random moments or why he had to listen to Sam. A clean break would've been better.

I sighed. "Listen, I know he feels bad about that. He really can't explain why it happened though. People just… drift apart for unexplainable reasons all the time. It has nothing to do with either of you."

He shrugged. "Whatever. You learn to live with these things and just move on." He let out a deep breath. "I can't believe you're dating Clearwater."

"Why not?" I asked, frowning. I didn't like the turn this conversation had taken. "What's so unbelievable about that?"

He shrugged again. "He's never dated anyone before. Did it happen over the summer?"

I nodded slowly. "Yeah. We were both taking a walk around Forks and bumped into each other. It kind of blossomed from there."

He nodded once. "Wow. You must be really special then. I'd never thought that I'd see the day when Seth finally got a girlfriend."

I didn't know whether this was supposed to be a compliment to me or an insult to Seth or both. However, I didn't have to think on that for too long. The bell rang, signaling the end of class. I gathered up my books and headed for the door.

"Hey Erin!" Hunter shouted. I turned around. "Don't forget that dance you promised me."

"I won't." I told him as I headed out the door and almost immediately ran into Brady.

"Erin." he said, sounding out of breath. "Thank goodness. You have to hide me. Or pretend you're my girlfriend."

"What?" I asked, incredulously. "Why?"

He pointed at a girl who was weaving in and out of the crowd, making her way towards us as fast as she could. She was tall and thin, with beautiful, shiny, black hair that went right to her shoulders.

"Who is she?" I asked curiously.

"That's Ivy Currington. She's my ex-girlfriend. She's trying to ask me to the dance. You have to help me." he pleaded.

"Why?" I asked, wondering why Brady was so keen to stay away from this very pretty girl.

"Because I'll do whatever you want, because our relationship ended badly, and because you're my friend." he told me, his eyes getting wide as he noticed that Ivy was getting closer.

I sighed. "I don't know about that last part, but I'll do it."

"You'll pretend to be my girlfriend?" he asked, surprised.

"Uh, no." I said. "However, I will get her away from you." I said, spotting Hunter. I just had a brilliant idea. "I'll be back." I told him.

I made my way over to Ivy, who was still struggling to get through the massive crowd that separated her from Brady.

"Hey, are you Ivy Currington?" I asked her, panting heavily. That was one tough crowd.

She nodded. "Yeah, who are you?" she asked, frowning. She must have seen me with Brady.

"I'm Erin Morgan." I told her. "I'm new here."

She looked at me, angrily. "So, what? You Brady's new girlfriend or something?" she asked me.

I shook my head quickly. "Uh, no. We're just friends. No, I'm dating his friend Seth Clearwater. But, that's not the point." I told her, dragging her out of the crowd.

"So, what is the point then?" she asked, seeming a lot more friendly.

I looked for Hunter again and spotted him next to the water fountain. "See that guy over there?" I asked, pointing at him.

She nodded. "Hunter Konner. So?"

I smiled mischievously. "Yeah. Well, he's in my art class and I think he might like you."

Her skin flushed. "Really? You think so?"

I shrugged. "Well, you could ask him to go to the dance. Maybe then you'd find out." I told her.

She nodded. "Okay. Wish me luck." She turned to leave and then turned around again. "Hey, sorry about…"

I smiled. "Forget it. Just go."

She nodded. "I hope we can be friends." she told me. She sighed. "Okay, here I go." She walked over to Hunter.

"So, did you get rid of her?" Brady asked when I managed to get back to him after fighting my way through the crowd.

I nodded and pointed at the water fountain. "Take a look." I told him.

Hunter and Ivy were talking and smiling and laughing. Then, Hunter grabbed her hand. She smiled bigger and then saw me looking at her. She gave me a thumbs up with her free hand and I gave her two back.

"Am I good or what?" I asked Brady.

"So good." he told me as we started walking off to our AP US History class together. I knew Mrs. Underwood wouldn't mind if we were late. She probably wouldn't even count us tardy, but she'd still have to put on a big show for the other kids.

"My next project is to find an imprint for you." I told him, thinking of Kendra. They seemed like a good match. And even if they weren't soul mates, maybe they could be good friends.

Brady shook his head. "No way. I told you Erin. Imprinting is not for me. I'm not looking for eternal love."

I sighed and shook my head. "We'll see about that Brady. We shall see."

The bell rang just as we got to Mrs. Underwood's room and I quickly slid into my seat next to Collin and in front of Brady. What a Monday.

**So, that's all for this chapter. Did you guys enjoy this? I certainly hope you did. I don't think Hunter's going to be too worried about that one dance Erin promised him. Well, that's about all I have to say for now. Leave me a review. No idea when I'm updating. Hopefully it'll be soon. See you guys later.**


	28. Attitude Problems

_"Now I know why I was born. You feel my feelings one by one. Can't see the world I'm walking through 'cause, baby, I see only you."--from Backstreet Boys 'It's Gotta Be You'_

Seth's POV

I was in a mad dash for the cafeteria, and Erin, when I ran smack dab into Mr. Cornwall, our principal. Needless to say, I was very embarrassed.

"Watch it Clearwater." he warned me. "This is a school hallway, not a racetrack."

I nodded. "Sorry sir. I'm a growing boy. I need food and all that good stuff. Gotta have energy."

He nodded curtly. "Just slow it down a bit."

I grinned and headed off for the cafeteria at a slightly slower pace. As soon as I got in line, I saw Erin sit her tray down in front of Scout. They were talking and laughing about something or another. Suddenly, Erin spotted me in the line and waved at me, vigorously. I waved back and wished that the long line would move faster.

Finally, after what seemed like several hours, I sat my tray down next to Erin who made a disgusted face when she saw what was on my tray. It was chili day and it looked gross. However, it tasted way better than it looked.

"That is why I am glad we have a salad line." Scout said, pinching her nose in disgust. "It makes me want to gag. It looks so freaking revolting."

"What looks revolting?" Collin said as he and Brady sat down at the table. "Brady's face?"

We all gave a laugh at that, while Brady stuck his tongue out at Collin who was making faces back at him. I really wondered why I hung out with them sometimes. Guess it was all that 'pack loyalty' junk.

"Hey, maybe that's why he can't get an imprint." I offered. Scout, who had chosen to take a huge swig of chocolate milk at that precise moment, had to cover her mouth with her hand to keep herself from spitting.

"Ha ha." Brady said, sarcastically of course. "Oh so witty. You guys should be comedians. Seriously. You'd get a lot of laughs with that. Hardy har har. How do you guys come up with this stuff? It must come naturally."

"Don't tease him guys." Erin said, kindly taking up for my total loser of a friend. "You watch. One day he is going to imprint and she's going to be a really great and amazing person and then you guys will have to stop messing with him."

I could've sworn I heard Collin mutter, "Or _he_", but I wasn't too sure and I didn't really want to say anything. It could cause a huge fight and that was the last thing anyone wanted or needed. Someone might phase. Erin, Scout, or someone else might get hurt. We'd all be in serious trouble. That would probably go all the way to the Council. That would not a good thing at all.

Brady groaned. "Erin, I wish you would give up already." he growled. "I don't want to imprint and I wish everyone would just leave me alone already. What is with you guys? That's all you can talk about. I'm sick of it!" he picked up his tray and walked away, sitting at an empty table and casting glares at us.

"Someone's in denial." Scout sighed, poking her baked potato with her fork repeatedly.

Erin nodded and took a spoonful of yogurt. "I'm making Brady my next project. I won't give up until he imprints and shuts up. I can't stand it any longer. He knows what he's saying is complete bull."

Collin laughed and I asked, "What do you mean Brady's going to be your next project?"

She smiled slyly. "I hooked up a couple of people today. Ivy Currington and Hunter Konner."

"How'd you know Hunter has had this huge crush on Ivy since, like, first grade?" I asked incredulously. I used to be best friends with Hunter. Then I phased for the first time and our friendship sort of fell apart. It was one thing I always hated about being a wolf.

"I didn't." she told me. "See, Hunter asked me to the dance in art class and then I told him I was dating you. He seemed upset. Anyway, after class I ran into Brady in the hall and he was freaking out 'cause Ivy was trying to ask him to the dance. I went up to her and told her to ask Hunter. I told her I thought he liked her. I was bluffing of course. I had no clue he had a crush on her."

"Awesome." Scout said, smiling. "You're like a matchmaker or something. You probably could find a girl for Brady easy."

Erin nodded. "Yeah, but Ivy and Hunter was just a freak accident. It'd take longer to find someone for Brady. A lot longer." she sighed heavily. "But I still won't give up. There has to be some girl out there somewhere in this world and I'm going to find her. Even if it takes all of eternity." She turned to me and smirked. "Since I've discovered that I can live forever if I so choose, I've got nothing but time on my hands."

I shook my head. I still wasn't convinced we would be living forever. I mean, Erin couldn't phase, so what if she actually was aging? How did we know that she had actually stopped growing old?

"Seth, you okay?" Erin asked, nudging my shoulder with her hand.

I nodded slowly. "Uh, yeah." I figured this would be a good time to ask her about the dance. "So, do you want to go to that dance? It's this weekend. It could be fun I guess." I told her.

Erin's face briefly tinged light pink and she suddenly became very interested in her baked potato. She began prodding it with her fork and wouldn't look up.

"I mean, we don't have to go if you don't want to. It was just a suggestion. I thought you might enjoy it." I said very quickly. I didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable. That was the last thing I wanted.

She sighed. "No, I do want to go. I just don't know if I want to ask Alice if I could borrow a dress. She might go all crazy on me." She gave a weak chuckle and poked her potato. She sighed again. "Guess I'll just have to suck it up."

Scout squealed. "Oh yay. It'll be so much fun. I'm glad you guys are going. It's usually just me, Collin, Brady, and whoever Brady happens to ask to go with him. It gets a little boring after a while. Brady never asks very interesting girls, so I spend most of the night listening to Collin tell me how pretty I look." She looked at him and smiled. "Not that that's a bad thing. I enjoy that part."

Collin kissed her on the cheek and then looked behind him, at Brady. Brady made a face at him and Collin turned back around. "You better find him an imprint soon Erin. I don't think I can take much more of Brady's attitude."

I nodded in wholehearted agreement. I didn't think I could take much more of Brady's attitude either. However, I wasn't in Sam's pack, so I didn't have to listen to Brady in my head whenever I phased. Poor Collin never got any peace.

Suddenly the bell rang and every shred of happiness that I had faded away. I'd have to wait until after school to see my Erin. Why in the heck did I have to be a senior? It sucked.

I gently kissed Erin on the cheek and then watched her head off with Scout and Collin. Brady followed sluggishly behind them, still looking pretty pissed off at them. I knew he'd get over it eventually.

As soon as I stood up to walk to my class, someone slammed into me on purpose. It was Adam, of course.

He smirked and said, "Watch where you're going Clearwater. Wouldn't want me to have to get Josh on you." he chuckled. "Think how your girlfriend would feel to find you beaten to a pulp. She may need someone to console her." He laughed again and then walked off.

_Deep breaths Seth. Just take a few deep breaths. _I told myself. _You can't get mad. That would be terrible. It'd be worse than terrible. How would the Council be able to cover that up? And what would Erin say to that? Well, she'd probably laugh about what I'd do to Adam and Josh, but she'd feel guilty about the secret getting out._

I sat my books down on my desk in my probability and statistics class. I drummed my fingers on my desk almost all period. It wouldn't be long until I saw Erin. I knew I could hold on. That is, if nothing went wrong.

**Okay, so that's the end of this wonderful chapter. I know it's a little short, but they will get longer. There's just not a lot that could be put in my last couple of chapters. I'm really and truly sorry about that. On the bright side, my two new Twilight fics are going great. I'll start posting them when I get to a certain point in this story. You'll see where, I promise. Unfortunately, when that happens I may have to put this story on hold for a little while. I'll be trying to type a bunch of chapters for my Brady story. Things may get a little hectic with four stories going on at the same time. That and I've got school and other things. However, I already know what I'm doing with this story. There may be a few filler chapters thrown in here and there, but I have most of it planned out. There's going to be several twists and some interesting things will happen. One of these interesting things will be in the next chapter. It should be very cool and you all should love it a lot. So, you guys should totally leave me a ton of long reviews. I've been getting fewer and fewer every post. So, fix that for me. Keep on the lookout for another update. One will be coming shortly. See you all later. Oh, by the way, I finally got to see New Moon. It was great. It was so much better than the first one. Okay, now I'm going to go. **


	29. Attackers

"_I will not bow, I will not break. I will shut the world away. I will not fall, I will not fade. I will take your breath away."--from Breaking Benjamin 'I Will Not Bow'_

Erin's POV

The final bell rang and I ran straight for my locker, sweeping my bangs out of my face as I ran. School was over and I was going to get to hang with Seth. My day was really looking awesome despite the grey clouds looming outside. The weather didn't matter to me. Seth was my sun, shining ever so brightly all of the time.

As soon as I got to my locker, I skidded to a stop. Brady was standing in front of it, his arms folded.

"What?" I asked as he moved, letting me fumble with the stupid combination lock.

He sighed. "Look, I'm sorry I was a jerk earlier. I mean, Seth and Collin deserved it, but you didn't. You stuck up for me. You were only trying to help."

I shoved my books in my locker. "It's okay Brady. I know you're sensitive about the imprinting thing."

"Sensitive?" he asked me incredulously. He leaned against the locker next to mine and wiped his bangs out of his eyes. "No. It's just that, well, sometimes I wish Seth didn't imprint on you."

Crap. I could feel an awkward conversation coming on. I slammed my locker shut and slung my bag over my shoulder. "Well, he did and that's the end Brady."

"Yeah, but you can choose." he said eagerly. "You don't have to be with Seth. You could be with… someone else."

I had a feeling I knew exactly which someone else he was talking about. It was time to set this pup straight. "Yeah, I do have to be with Seth." I told him bluntly. "He's everything to me. It's like… I imprinted on him too." It did make sense. I was a wolf too, after all.

He shook his head. "Then why did you just want to be friends with him at first?" he asked hopefully. "You wouldn't have done that if you imprinted on him."

I sighed. "Yes, I would have. I didn't know what was going on. I needed time to sort out my feelings. I was scared." I took note of Brady's face and added, "Not scared of Seth, but scared of the feelings I was having for a guy I barely knew."

Brady looked over his shoulder, pretending not to care. "Right. Okay then. Not like I really care."

I was about to open my mouth to say something, but I saw Seth running up toward us and I closed my mouth.

"Speak of the devil." Brady muttered, also noticing Seth.

"Yo guys." Seth said, wrapping an arm around me. I saw Brady roll his eyes out of the corner of my eye.

"Hey." I told him. "So, what're we doing today?"

Seth's face fell. "Listen Erin. Jacob texted me during last period." He dropped his voice to a low whisper so only Brady and I could hear him. "He said he's been smelling an unfamiliar vampire. He wants me to check it out with him. He already has Embry patrolling around the beach and Quil's on Claire sitting duty so it'll just be me and him."

I nodded. "Okay, so what am I supposed to do then?"

Seth bit his lip, thinking. "I want you to stick around the beach. Like I said, Embry will be there. 'Sides, if the vamp is visiting the Cullens, I don't want you around there. It's probably a nomad. They drink human blood. You could get hurt."

I nodded again. "Okay. You gonna meet me there?" I asked.

"Soon as we're done." He kissed me on the cheek and then turned to Brady, like he just noticed he was even alive. "Hey Brady, you wanna go with Erin?" he asked.

Brady looked at me, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "No thanks. I got tons of homework. No time to protect your girlfriend."

Seth looked angry. "Look dude, what is your problem lately? Where in the hell did this attitude come from?"

"What's my problem?" Brady asked. "I'll tell you what's my problem." He looked at me again and then shook his head. "Know what? I don't have to explain myself to you." He turned around. "I'm outta here." I watched as Brady walked off and I felt extremely guilty. It was all my fault they were fighting.

Seth shook his head. "Hope you find him an imprint soon. I don't know how much longer I can stand this." He kissed me on the cheek again. "I'll see you soon. Stay safe."

I gave Seth a tight squeeze, afraid for him to leave me. "You be careful okay. I don't want you hurt."

He chuckled. "I helped Edward rip a jealous crazed female bloodsucker to shreds when I was fourteen. I think I can handle myself Erin."

I sighed. "I know, but I'm still a little scared." I hated admitting I was scared. However, I couldn't lose Seth. I had to tell him so he'd be extra careful.

"Don't be." he told me. He bent down planted a kiss on the top of my head. "See you." He ran off, leaving me alone in the middle of the hallway.

I don't remember how I got to First Beach. I couldn't recall what happened between the time Seth left and the time I noticed that I was standing in front of the ocean. My mind was off somewhere. I was now determined to find Brady an imprint as soon as possible. He needed someone. Well, I also didn't want him and Seth fighting over me. They could kill each other.

I never heard Adam and Josh come up behind me; I was way too busy thinking about random girls in my classes that Brady might like. I didn't know they were there until Adam had grabbed my arm tightly.

I turned my head and saw them, grinning, pleased with themselves. "Lookee what we got here Josh." Adam jeered. "Where's little Sethie?" he asked me, squeezing my arm even more tightly.

"None of your business." I growled. I looked around; No one else was on the beach. I heard a clap of thunder and suddenly knew why. A heavy storm was brewing. This was just not my day.

They laughed. "Did he leave you all alone?" Adam asked. When I didn't say anything, he said, "I'm surprised. He usually doesn't leave your side. Oh well. Guess you'll just have to settle for me." He began dragging me and Josh followed us.

"Let go." I told him, trying to get free. I realized I could've snapped his arm in half, but Billy told me not to draw any attention to myself. If a short, skinny girl broke a big, muscular guy's arm, I think that would draw some unwanted attention to said girl.

He laughed and whispered in my ear. "Don't struggle sweetheart. If you do, well, we just might have to beat up Sethie. Wouldn't want that would you?"

I knew he couldn't do anything to Seth (or me really) but I still had to pretend to be terrified or that could draw attention to me. I had to fight the urge to crack his skull as he pulled me into the woods.

Adam grinned at me and shoved me into Josh, who held me tightly. "Now, we're gonna play a little game." Adam told me and Josh laughed.

I had to get out of there without potentially blowing the secret. I did the only thing I could think of even though I hated to do it; I screamed at the top of my lungs.

Josh and Adam laughed. "Scream all you want." Josh told me. "No one's going to hear you. 'Specially not Clearwater."

I knew what he was saying was true, but I had to do something. I was mad that I couldn't do anything to defend myself. I was at the mercy of two crazy idiots. I was going to end up like one of those girls on the news, lying dead in the woods. Charlie was going to find my body. All because Carlisle had to figure out that I was a werewolf and Billy made me swear I wouldn't draw attention to myself.

_Thanks a lot guys! _I thought. _Maybe if you saw this coming I wouldn't be in this mess!_

Wait, Alice could see the future. I mentally groaned. Duh Erin. She couldn't see my future. Well, there went that last little piece of hope.

"What the hell was that?" Adam asked, turning around, his eyes darting around everywhere.

I heard a wolf howl. Josh started looking around too. "Dude, I heard there were wolves in these woods."

I mentally laughed. They were chickens. But wait. Was this one of the werewolves or a real wolf? This could potentially be terrible. But maybe if it was a real wolf it could sense that I was like it. But did I want to risk that?

There was another howl and then Josh tightened his grip on me. "Dude, we have to get out of here."

Adam looked at me and hesitated. "No. Not without her. Besides, it's just a dumb animal. We can outsmart it, come on. We'll go deeper inside."

Adam led the way as Josh shoved me in the direction he was headed. They really weren't too bright. They were headed in the wolf's direction. However, I said nothing. Let them get eaten. I'd just laugh. Unless I got eaten too.

Suddenly, my foot went into a hole and my leg twisted. I fell down and Josh fell on top of me. My leg was on fire with pain but I didn't dare scream. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I had broken it.

"What in the hell?" Adam asked, turning around and seeing what had happened. "Josh you idiot. Why didn't you look to see where you were going?"

Josh got up, pulling me up with him. "Look dude, I say we leave her. She's got a broken leg so she won't be going anywhere. I don't wanna be around that wolf."

Adam shook his head. "We won't run into that wolf you retard. Now would you just-"

A scuffling sound made him stop talking in mid sentence. I heard a deep, low, rumbling growl. Slowly, I watched as a huge grey wolf with dark spots came out of the trees. I had forgotten that Seth said Embry would be patrolling the woods. I guess he had actually heard me screaming earlier and ran after me. Talk about a lucky break.

Josh let go of me, causing me to fall to the ground, and started backing up as Embry came closer. Embry cast a small glance in my direction and gave something that resembled a smile.

"Dude, I told you." Josh whispered, frightened. "I freaking told you there were wolves."

Adam began backing up too and I was struggling not to laugh from my position on the ground. "I say we run for it." Adam whispered.

The two of them stared at Embry, who was still growling, for a minute and then bolted. As soon as they were out of earshot I started laughing, ignoring the searing pain in my leg.

Embry walked over to me and nudged my leg. I winced and said, "Yeah, it's broken." Then I asked, "Hey Embry, is Seth okay?" He nodded. "Great. Hey, can you take me to Carlisle or do I have to actually go to a hospital?"

Embry motioned his head in the direction of the Cullens. I took that to mean that he could take me there. I leaned on Embry as I tried to get up and then brushed the dirt off my pants. "Thanks Embry." I told him when I successfully climbed on his back.

I closed my eyes as he ran towards the Cullens. I tried not to think about what Seth would do to those guys when he found out what they were planning on doing. He'd probably murder them, but I really couldn't blame him. They were going to leave me in the woods for dead with a broken leg and a wolf around.

As soon as we got to the Cullens I heard Edward say, "Bella get out here! Erin's been attacked! Embry's got her!"

I then heard a car pull up and Edward shouted, "Carlisle, Erin's broken her leg! She was attacked."

I cracked my eyes open and I saw the two of them walk over to me with Bella standing on the porch with Renesmee and Jacob next to her.

"I got her Embry." Carlisle said as he lifted me effortlessly into his arms. "You go find Seth."

"He's probably looking for her at the beach." Edward told Embry. Embry nodded and ran off into the woods.

"You'll be find sweetheart." Carlisle whispered to me. I was so calm that I wouldn't have been surprised if Jasper was there, using his ability.

I felt myself being placed on a couch and I felt two people sit down next to me. I cracked my eyes again and saw Nessie and Alice at the other end. They looked worried, so I smiled to show them that I was okay.

I looked up a little more and saw Jacob standing in the doorway. "Seth's gonna flip a gasket when Embry tells him the news."

"Is that all you can talk about?" I asked, joking weakly. "Car parts?"

Jacob shouted into the next room. "She's fine Bells! You don't have to freak."

I frowned. "Why can't Bella come in here?" I asked, confused. I thought she was okay with blood.

"She can." Alice whispered. "She's helping Carlisle get some things."

Suddenly, Carlisle appeared with Bella and Edward carrying his things. He smiled warmly at me as he walked over to the couch. "Well Erin, let's take a look at that leg. You should only take a couple of days to heal at the most."

I sighed and let Carlisle examine me. I tried harder not to think about how Seth was going to react to the news. Jacob was absolutely right; Seth was going to flip a gasket. Hopefully Embry could keep him under control.

**Okay, that's the end of this chapter. This took a while to write because of school and things like that. However, it is now finished and I hoped you really enjoyed it. I don't know when I'll be able to update again. I'll try to do it soon. Trust me, I have so many ideas it'll make your head spin. Well, see you later!**


	30. Just A Moment

"_I can be your hero baby. I can kiss away the pain. I will stand by you forever. You can take my breath away."--from Enrique Iglesias 'Hero'_

Seth's POV

As soon as Embry explained to me why _my _Erin wasn't waiting for me at the beach, I ran off towards the Cullens at top speed. Those idiots had hurt her. She had a broken leg. If I had known that would have happened, I would've made her go over to Scout's house. However, it was too late to dwell on what I should've done. It was my own stupid fault that she was hurt and now I had to go and apologize.

When I made it to the Cullens', I burst through the door and went straight into the living room without bothering to say hello to Esme. I'd apologize for being rude later. At the moment, I had an imprint who was hurt because of my stupidity. She was much more important.

I saw Erin, lying on the couch, her leg wrapped up, laughing with Nessie and Jacob. When she saw me, she smiled as if everything was okay. Well, it wasn't okay. Not yet anyway.

I ran over to her and hugged her tight. "Oh God." I whispered. "This is all my fault." I heard Jacob and Nessie get up and walk out of the room. "I'm so stupid. I should've realized something like this would've happened. You must hate me."

Erin chuckled. "Seth, calm down. I'm fine. I'm just glad you're okay." I let go of her and she grinned. She was far too kind sometimes. "So, how was that nomad vampire?" she asked curiously.

I sat down next to her and looked at her, shocked. "Wha- You just got hurt because of my stupid mistake and you wanna know what happened to me?"

She nodded. "Yeah. A broken leg is no biggie. Vampires on the other hand…" she trailed off. "Seth, it wasn't your fault. How were you supposed to know those idiots would come after me?"

I sighed and supposed she was right. At least it was only a broken leg. If Embry hadn't have found her, something worse might've happened to her. I might not have been talking to her then if it wasn't for Embry.

"I guess you're right." I told her. "I was just mad, that's all."

She smiled and nodded. "I know. I would be too. I'll just have to be more careful is all." She grinned slyly and then asked, "So, what about that vampire? Tell me everything. I'm dying to hear about it."

I chuckled. "Okay. Jacob and I found the scent and went to confront it. When it saw us, it just said 'So, the rumors are true.' and then told us it'd leave. It must've heard about us from somewhere and just got curious. Everything should be okay and Charlie said there haven't been any funny deaths in the area."

"Oh." she said, looking slightly disappointed. "That's good. No one got hurt. That's the important thing."

"You sound like you're upset about that." I told her, giving her a funny look.

She shook her head. "Nah. I'm just upset that it wasn't a more exciting story. A fight for your life would've been nice." She punched me lightly on the shoulder. "Some scars maybe."

I laughed. "Erin Morgan, you are the weirdest girl I have ever met. And that's saying something considering that I live with Leah."

She laughed too. "Yeah, but I'm the weird girl that you imprinted on." She sighed and added, "You're stuck with me for life kid."

I pretended to look offended. "Kid? Okay, who's the oldest one here?"

She shook her head. "Life experience and coolness wise? Me." she told me, grinning. "Age wise? You."

She must've been talking to Jacob and Bella a little too long. "How do you figure that?" I asked.

"Well, let's see." she began. "For one, you grew up in Forks, the most boring place on Earth."

"Boring?" I asked incredulously. "What other town do you know that's teeming with mythological creatures?"

She nodded. "True, so that gives you… six months." she calculated. "That makes you… about eighteen years and two months old."

"Okay." I said, not even bothering to ask how that only tacked on six months. "What else?"

"Well, you don't know every last Harry Potter book by heart." she told me.

"What does that have to do with anything?" I asked her, pretending to be mad.

She sighed. "It takes an awful lot of brains to do that." she explained plainly. "I, on the other hand, do know them all by heart."

I stuck out my tongue. "Fine. How much does that give you?" I asked her.

She screwed up her face. "I'd say… half a year for each book. Now, there are seven books, so that makes me… almost twenty."

I shook my head rapidly. "Oh, no. That makes you nineteen and a half." I told her. "Not almost twenty."

She shook her head. "You have to add on the months until your birthday too. So, I am almost twenty."

I sighed, defeated. "Okay, okay. Anything else?" I asked.

"Hmm." she said, thoughtfully. "I suppose we can tack on another year for that vampire fight you helped Edward with."

"So, now I'm nineteen and two months?" I asked her.

She nodded. "Yup. I could go on for a long time, but I won't. I'll spare you the embarrassment."

I sighed and kissed her forehead. "Yup, you are the weirdest girl that I've ever met in my entire life."

"But, somehow you love me anyways." she told me.

"Yeah, I really do." I leaned in to kiss her, but was swiftly cut off by Jacob laughing his head off.

"I'm sorry." he chuckled. "I couldn't take it anymore. It was too funny. You didn't even notice I was right here the whole time." He laughed some more and then said, "You actually let her get away with the Harry Potter thing?"

I sighed. "So, when is that leg going to be healed?" I asked, leaning back on the couch while Jacob sat down in the floor.

Erin smiled and said, "Carlisle said I'd be okay tomorrow morning. I'm staying over at Scout's. Everything's all set up."

I nodded. "Want me to take you over there now?" I asked.

"If you want to." she told me. "I'll need someone to get some clothes, preferably without my uncle knowing they're there."

"I'll get right on it!" Alice yelled from the kitchen. "I'll meet Jacob at the treaty line soon." I heard the door shut quietly.

I stood up. "Okay, come on." I told Erin.

She sat up and grabbed the crutches Carlisle had given her (They had been leaning on the couch.) and managed to get to her feet.

"Come on Jacob." I told him. "I ran all the way here so you're gonna have to drive us to the Barlows' house."

He sighed heavily. "I figured as much." He got to his feet and headed towards the door with us following behind him.

"Bye Nessie." he told her when we walked onto the porch.

Nessie, who had been sitting on the porch swing, looked up. "Hmm? Oh, goodbye Jacob." she said softly. She didn't say anything to me or Erin, but looked back down.

Erin looked at me and I just shrugged. "Best not to ask." I whispered to her as we climbed into Jacob's car.

What a day.

**Okay, this is the end of this chapter. I will try to update soon. I'm really busy working on the other fanfic I want to post though. We'll just see what happens. Well, see you all soon. I hope.**


	31. No Harm, No Fun

"_Love is an energy. Love is a mystery. Love is meant to be true. Love is a part of me. Love is the heart of me. Love is the best thing we do."-- from Ashlee Simpson 'L.O.V.E.'_

Erin's POV

"Looks like Jake finally showed up with your clothes." Scout said, looking out her bedroom window. Sure enough, he was walking through the yard with my back pack in hand.

I sighed. "Took him long enough. I swear, he's the slowest werewolf in the history of the world."

She laughed. "I know right? Honestly, I've seen faster snails." We heard him knock on the door. Scout sighed and got up. "I suppose I better go and answer that. Don't wanna leave him out in the cold."

However, she didn't have to do anything. We suddenly heard the door open and then shut behind him. "Yo, where are you guys?" he called into the house.

"My bedroom genius!" Scout yelled back. She rolled her eyes in annoyance while I laughed loudly.

Jacob soon walked in and tossed my bag at me. "You two here all alone?" he asked, frowning.

Scout nodded. "Dad's at work and Mom took Mat, Mal, and Faith out and dropped Danny at Aunt Allison's for the night."

Jacob nodded and I wasn't all too sure that he had actually heard a word Scout said. He was too busy looking around her small bedroom. "It's very… yellow in here isn't it?" he asked her, raising his eyebrows.

She nodded her head, sighing. "My older sister had this room first. Yellow's her favorite color. I'm just stuck with it." she explained.

"Okay, how was I supposed to know that?" he asked. He then nodded at me. "Alice said she highly approves of all of your clothes but she wishes you'd buy some dresses and skirts. She thinks you'd look beautiful in them and she said she was sure Seth would agree." He looked disgusted. I supposed this wasn't the kind of message he wanted to send on.

I sighed. Of course Alice would want me to wear more dresses and skirts. She practically lived in them herself. I then stuck out my tongue. "I will never buy a dress. I will only wear one to the school dance and only because I know Seth really wants to go with me."

Jacob nodded. "Yeah, Seth's actually never gone to a dance in his life. Not even prom." he told me.

Well, I felt slightly awful. I looked up at Jake. "Thanks for bringing my clothes. I know you've probably got better things to do."

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Sure, sure. It was no problem. I'm actually not that busy these days." He sighed. "I better head home. Gotta put pizza in the oven for Billy." he snorted. "Apparently he's far too handicapped for that."

Scout and I laughed as he walked out of the room. "See you Jake!" we hollered in unison.

"Whatever!" he shouted back. Soon we heard the door open and then shut again. We watched him out the window as he walked up the road.

Scout flopped back down on her bed, sighing heavily. "Well, what are we going to do now Erin?" she asked.

I let out a long breath and shrugged. "You're not used to an empty house are you?" I asked my friend.

See, Scout had a pretty big family. There was her father, her mother, her nineteen year old siblings, Maycee and Spencer, her thirteen year old brother, Mathias, her ten year old sister, Mallory, her seven year old sister, Faith, and her two year old brother, Danny. And that wasn't all. Faith had a pet guinea pig, Sir Cuddles, and Mat had a lizard named Crusher. I didn't bother to ask about the names. Little kids were odd.

Scout shook her head. "No." She jumped up and yell. "This quiet is killing me! I wanna do something!"

I laughed and then heard the door knock. I looked at Scout, confused. "Did you order a pizza or something?" I asked.

She shook her head, looking just as confused as I was. "That can't be Collin either. It's his mom's birthday. He's out eating with her and his dad." She looked at me. "Maybe it's Seth."

"Only one way to find out." I said, grabbing my crutches and hoisting myself off Maycee's old bed. "Let's go. We'll pretend it's an adventure. Ooh, or like we're secret agents on a mission."

Scout giggled. "Uh… okay. Sounds like a plan."

We slowly walked out of her room, making our way through the house and ducking behind things like ninjas. It was quite fun. What we didn't count on was that we were having so much fun we didn't notice the front door had already opened and shut.

As soon as we peeked out from behind Mat's bedroom door, we let out very high pitched, girlish shrieks, causing the girl in Scout's living room to jump and then stare at Scout, confused.

"Harm?" Scout asked, coming out from behind the door. I hobbled out behind her, clearly confused.

Harm, whoever she was, grinned sheepishly and held out a book. "Karen wanted me to drop this off for your mom." She looked at me uneasily. "I didn't know you had company."

"Hi." I said. Being the kind and friendly person that I am, I slowly made my way over to her on my crutches and held out my hand, balancing on one foot. "I'm Erin Morgan."

She shook my hand. "Uh, Harmony Locke. I'm Scout's… I, uh, live across the street." she said, nervously. Uh oh. I guess they were best friends in a fight. I wondered what over.

Scout walked over to us slowly and quickly spoke up. "She's Seth Clearwater's i- girlfriend."

_Nice save Scout. _I thought after I let out a huge, relieved breath. She had almost said 'imprint'. That would've been bad.

Harmony nodded and then we all stood in awkward silence for a moment. She looked over her shoulder and then turned to Scout. "Uh, guess I'll head home." She tossed the book on the couch. "See ya." she muttered, turning to leave.

Scout, on an impulse, reached out and placed her hand on Harm's shoulder. "Why don't you spend the night. Mom wouldn't care and I'm sure Erin would be cool with it too."

I nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, I think that'd be awesome." No friendship was going to stay broken with me around.

She cringed. "I… don't know. I have homework and…" she trailed off. "I don't want to ruin your fun."

"Oh, come on." I begged. "With three of us we here can have three times as much fun. What do you say?"

"Please Harm?" Scout asked. "I really miss you. We haven't done anything together in a long time."

Harmony sighed, defeated. "I suppose I could stay for a little while. But then I've got to go home okay?"

Scout nodded. "That's perfectly fine. But if you want to spend the night, just ask. We'd love for you to sleep over."

We were quiet for a minute when harm decided to speak again. "So, what exactly were you two doing when you scared me half to death?" she asked, plopping down on the couch.

I laughed and hobbled over to sit with her, Scout trailing behind me. "We were just being extremely bored." I sat down next to Harm and then laid my crutches down in the floor in front of me.

Scout shook her head. "Erin here had the bright idea of acting like ninjas. She thought it would be fun." she explained. I was glad she didn't say we were doing it mostly because we thought it was Seth at the door.

Harmony laughed. "Okay. A little weird maybe, but it looked like a whole lot of fun."

I nodded. "Especially if you have a broken leg on the mend." I told her.

She frowned, looking at my busted leg. "That looks pretty bad. How'd that happen exactly?"

Scout held her breath nervously, but I, with my voice full of confidence, simply said, "I tripped in a hole. I'm what you'd call a klutz."

"Oh." she said, nodding. She then nervously turned to Scout. "So, um, how are things with you and Collin going?"

Oh. So, this must have been the root of the problem. Harm obviously didn't like Collin and was mad that Scout was going out with him. I'd seen that happen to my friend, Jamie, and her brother, Dylan. Jamie absolutely hated this girl he had been dating and tried everything to break them up. She even tried to get me to help.

Scout shrugged. "It's okay. He's great. We have a ton of fun together. Everything's super."

"He's not being mean to you or anything is he?" Harmony asked suspiciously. "Because it sounds from your tone of voice that something's wrong."

Scout sighed heavily, getting angry. "No Harm, he's not being mean to me. I can't believe you're still doing this."

"Doing what?" she asked cluelessly.

Scout hopped up like her seat was on fire. "Don't give me that! You never liked the fact that we were dating. You hate him. Well Harm, people can change. So what if he picked on me as a kid? We're teenagers now. Things are different. Why can't you just give him a chance?"

Harmony looked like she was going to argue, but sighed instead. "Look, I'm sorry. You're right. But, every time I see you with him, you look sad."

Scout looked at Harm, laughed, and sat back down. "I am sad. I'm sad that I haven't spoken to my best friend properly in a little less than a year."

Harmony started laughing. "You mean, all this time I hated Collin for no reason?"

Scout, still laughing, nodded. "I guess so."

"So, are you two friends again?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

They nodded. "I guess I can get used to the idea of jerky Collin Main actually being a good person." Harmony said honestly. She then stood up. "However, I really have to go now. I was only supposed to drop off that book and then come straight home."

We nodded, gave her hugs good bye, and waved to her as she walked out the front door. I supposed I had another new friend. And to think, this time last year, I didn't have any friends at all.

**Well okay, that's the end of this chapter. It was a little boring, but still pretty good. We might see some more of Harmony later on. I really don't know though. I will try to update as soon as I can. Bye guys.**


	32. A Rush

"_The strands in your eyes that color them wonderful stop me and steal my breath. And emeralds from mountains thrust towards the sky never revealing their depth."--from Edwin McCain 'I'll Be (Your Crying Shoulder)'_

Seth's POV

"Seth, tell me where we're going." Erin demanded. School had just let out and we were driving in my car.

I sighed heavily. I supposed it wouldn't hurt to tell her. "If you must know we're going to Jacob's."

"What for?" she asked, rolling down the window. It was a fairly nice day though the sky was gray.

That part I didn't know. "No clue." I told her honestly. "He just told me to come over and to bring you."

Jacob's house came into view and I pulled in and parked the car. Jacob saw us from the kitchen window and came rushing out of the house with Renesmee at his heels. I rolled down my window as they approached.

"You gonna tell me what all of this is about?" I asked, cutting to the chase.

Jacob smirked. "But Sethie little buddy, that's no fun. I wanted to surprise you." He leaned down and stuck his head in the window. "Nice to see you again Erin." he greeted her casually.

"Tell Seth why you want us here or I'll make him drive off." she told him sternly. That was my girl. All business. Usually.

He frowned. "I do not believe that I heard a 'hello' in that anywhere." he said. "No, I'm sure I didn't."

Erin sighed heavily. "Hi Jacob. Now, tell us what you want."

Jacob shook his head. "Well, aren't we impatient today." He took his head out of the car and turned to Nessie. "Think I should tell them? They've been very rude."

Nessie grinned, her bronze curls waving in the breeze. "I think they've suffered enough Jake. Let's show 'em."

I sighed and opened my car door, stood up, and slammed it shut behind me. "Show us what?" I asked.

Erin climbed out of her own seat and there was another slam. "I have a feeling this is either going to be really good or really bad." she told me, circling the front of the car to stand next to me. She could walk surprisingly well for someone who had a broken leg that just healed.

I took her small hand in mine. "Well you two? What is this all about?"

"Come on." Jacob said, leading the way to his garage. When we successfully made it inside, I noticed in the middle of the floor was a large something covered with tarp.

"What is this?" I asked, slightly afraid of the answer.

Erin looked at it, puzzled. "I seriously don't think I want to know." she said, covering her mouth with her free hand.

Jacob grinned and grabbed the edge of the tarp. "I decided it was high time I brought these back out." He yanked off the cover, revealing two banged up, dusty motorcycles.

Erin squealed with delight. "Are you serious?!" She dropped my hand and went to examine the bikes. "Jake, these are awesome. Did you fix them up yourself?"

Jake smirked. "Well, I had a little help from Bella."

Erin snorted. "Wait. You're serious?" she asked, looking up at him. He nodded and she said, "Well you two did great. Are we gonna ride them?"

"Oh no." I said, putting my foot down. "No way. Can you say 'Screaming metal deathtraps'?" I asked.

"I got helmets." Jake told me. "Come on Sethie. Don't be such a little girl."

"Please Seth?" Erin begged. "It'd be so much fun. We'll stay close to the house just in case Billy needs to call an ambulance. Which he won't." she added. "Just as a precaution. Please?"

I sighed heavily. How could I say no to that face? How could I look into those amazing eyes again if I told her no? "Fine. But I'm driving." I told her.

She smiled, knowing she had broken me down. "Whatever you want." She walked over to me and kissed my cheek. "I love you." she whispered while Jake got our the helmets.

"I know." I whispered, taking her hands. "I love you too." I kissed her fingers. "Very much." I smiled as her cheeks tinged pink.

"Hey, yo! If you two are finished being mushy over there we'll get going!" Jacob shouted.

I let go of Erin's hands and she turned around. Jacob tossed her a silver helmet and she caught it with ease. Nessie was already strapping on a red one, ready to go.

Jacob and I pushed the bikes out of the garage and then climbed on and waited for the girls to come out.

Erin got on the bike and wrapped her arms tightly around my middle. My breath caught in my throat. Erin must have noticed because she placed her chin on my shoulder and said, "Don't be scared Seth."

I grinned. "I'm not scared." I assured her. "You ready?" She nodded and we took off.

The loud roar of the engine filled my ears and I couldn't hear any other sounds. I swore I felt Erin's rapid heartbeat against my back. Or maybe it was my own heartbeat. Or maybe it was both.

I could actually see Jacob and Nessie out of the corner of my eye. Nessie was holding on tight to Jacob, looking sort of sad. I couldn't imagine why she'd be sad. Maybe she was getting sick.

I turned a little to look over my shoulder at Erin. She was smiling at me. "This is great." she mouthed, placing her chin back on my shoulder.

I turned back around, pleased Erin was happy. I had to admit that this had been a great idea. It was fun and exciting and I got to do it with Erin holding onto me. The feeling was great.

After a few laps around Jake's house I decided it was time to stop. I hit the brake and then shut off the engine. Erin still clung to me tightly and I glanced at her. "You okay?" I asked.

She nodded. "That was great. I wish I could drive though. It'd be a lot more fun for me. And I don't just mean motorcycles. I mean cars too."

I smiled. "I could teach you. We could practice right before the dance on Saturday if you want."

She nodded. "Sounds like a plan. We can meet at the Cullens' so that afterward Alice can help me get ready for the dance."

"Okay." I told her, trying to imagine her in a dress. I just couldn't wait to see it. I knew I'd be stunned. "You wanna go?" I asked. Jacob and Nessie were still riding around the house. "I don't think they'll notice."

Erin laughed and nodded. "Yeah, I have some homework I need to get done." She hopped off the bike and took off the helmet, handing it to me. "Meet you by the car." she said, briefly kissing my lips.

I watched her walk off and then pushed the bike into the garage, the helmet tucked under my arm. Erin was really something else. I didn't think it would be possible to figure her out even if I had forever to do it. She was different from any girl I had ever known. Everything was an adventure with her. Something new was lurking around every corner.

I ran out of the garage and headed for the car. Erin was leaning against it, her hair fluttering in the breeze. It looked like an ad in a magazine or something. She was so beautiful.

She saw me staring at her and smirked. "What?" she asked, looking at me with those piercing green eyes of hers.

I shrugged and grinned. "Nothing." I said. "I just think you're beautiful, that's all." I opened my door. "Why? Don't you like it when I look at you like that?" I climbed in and then slammed my door.

She opened hers, sat down, and shut it. She cocked her head to the side, continuing to look at me. A grin spread across her face. "Yeah. And I also like to look at you. You're beautiful to you know?"

I shook my head. "Erin Morgan, you are the most-"

"I know." she interrupted. "I'm the weirdest girl you've known in your entire life."

I chuckled softly. "I was going to say the most amazing actually.

She gaped at me for a moment and then leaned in to kiss me. It was amazing as usual. No matter what was going on in the world, I had her and she had me. That was all either of us needed. Each other.

**Okay, that might have been short. Sorry. Working on those other fanfics too. I will update as soon as I can. Check out 'Like Lightning'. **


	33. Driving Us Crazy

"_You lift my feet off the ground, you spin me around. You make me crazier, crazier. Feels like I'm falling and I am lost in your eyes. You make me crazier, crazier, crazier."--from Taylor Swift 'Crazier'_

Erin's POV

_Oh man._ I thought as I ran to the Cullens' house. It was a beautiful, sunny, Saturday afternoon and I was supposed to already be there getting a driving lesson from Seth.

_I am so freakin' late. Seth's probably called out a search party by now. He's prone to freak out if I don't show up exactly on time._

The reason I was so late was dear Uncle Brian. As soon as I woke up that morning, he banged his fist on my door and ordered me to clean the whole house. I didn't want to make him mad, so I did as I was told. And now, because of that horrible man, I was late.

My heart drummed faster and faster as the Cullen's house came in sight. When I saw Seth sitting casually in the porch swing, my heart calmed down some. Well, a little anyways.

"Sorry I'm late!" I called as I walked towards the house.

He smiled, standing up. "No problem. Just glad you're here." He sounded calm, but I knew better. Outside he may have looked fine, but inside he was surely calming down from a major panic attack.

The front door opened and Edward and Jacob walked onto the porch as Seth walked off and I ran up to him.

Seth pulled me into a hug and I whispered, "What are Edward and Jake doing out here?"

Seth let go of me and grimaced. "They want to come." He stuck out his tongue. "Apparently they both think they can drive better than I can."

I giggled. "Think they can get along?" I asked, looking at them arguing over Seth's shoulder.

Seth turned his head slightly and sighed heavily. "Well, I think they're going to try for your sake. I highly doubt it's going to work."

"Come on." I said, grabbing his hand and pulling him along behind me. We walked onto the porch and Jacob and Edward immediately shut up and greeted me warmly.

"Hey short stuff." Jacob said, wrapping an arm around me in a friendly hug.

I patted his arm. "I'm not really all that short. You are just really freakishly tall." I reminded him smugly.

"Whatever." he shrugged. "I'm still tall and you're still short."

I sighed and turned to Edward. "Hey Edward. It's been a while since I've seen you." I winked when I noticed Seth wasn't looking. I was still taking piano lessons every Sunday afternoon with him and Seth was still clueless.

Edward chuckled. "Yes it has been a while Erin." He gave a brief sideways glance to Jacob and then said, "Alice wants me to let you know that you're invited to Renesmee's birthday party next week. It's on the tenth."

I nodded. "Sure, sounds great. I'll definitely come." If I could escape from Brian anyways.

"So, I guess we better get this driving lesson started." Seth said, taking a look at his watch. "The dance starts at eight so we'll have to leave at seven thirty."

"So, you'll have to stop the lesson at five so Alice can wrestle Erin into a dress and heels." Jacob teased.

I sighed. "No, we'll have to stop at six thirty." I said, making a face at him. Jacob thought he was so funny.

Edward joined Seth in an eye roll and I began laughing at that. Jacob just shook his head in disbelief. "I honestly don't know where Brady gets the idea that you have a sense of humor, Erin." he said.

At the mere mention of Brady's name, Seth squeezed my hand tighter and I stopped breathing for a second. Neither of us had spoken to Brady since the incident in the school hallway. However, Jacob and Edward didn't know this so our reaction surprised them.

I decided it was high time to change the subject before someone asked us to explain. "So, let's get to that driving lesson then." I said, chuckling nervously.

Seth nodded quickly, coming out of his stupor. "Yeah. Let's get going." he turned and we began walking off the porch.

"We'll take my car." Edward offered, following us. "It's safe and easy to drive."

Jacob scoffed. "And what? My car's not safe?" Someone sounded very angry at a certain vampire. I knew they couldn't even try to get along for five seconds.

Edward snorted. "That piece of junk? I wouldn't let a crash test dummy ride in that thing. It looks ready to break down any second. It's a wonder it's still running."

Jacob growled. "Yeah? Well, what's so great about your car?" There was no way Jake could say anything bad about Edward's Volvo without it being wrong. It was definitely in great shape.

Seth groaned and clenched his teeth. I knew he hated their arguing. He could only ignore it for so long. "We're taking my car since you two are going to fight." He pulled his keys out of his pocket.

"Fine bossy." Jacob mumbled, viciously glaring at Edward and Seth. He looked seriously ticked off. Lovely.

He all walked over to Seth's car and climbed in. I was in the driver's seat with Seth next to me. Edward and Jacob were in the back. I was the only one to buckle my seatbelt. The others didn't actually need to.

I felt my heart pound in my chest as I stared out the windshield. Oh boy. I couldn't do this. Sure, I had my learner's, but I had to sneak and practice on Brian's car whenever he was passed out on the couch. I didn't get much practice time.

Seth placed a calming hand on my shoulder. "It's going to be just fine, Erin." Seth said to me. "I'm right here to guide you."

I let out a huge breath that I hadn't realized I had been holding in. Seth was absolutely right. I had nothing to worry about. Even if we did crash, we'd all be fine. I mean, I might get a little banged up, but Carlisle could fix that.

"Okay, what do I do first?" I asked even though I already knew the answer.

"Adjust your mirrors." he instructed. I heard Jacob groan in the back. Could he be any more annoying? Or impossible?

I adjusted my mirrors and then turned back to Seth. He was shaking his head slightly. Looks like I wasn't the only one mad at Jake.

"Hands at ten and two." he said. When I did as he said, he then said, "Okay, now show me the brake."

I pointed at the appropriate pedal and then said, "And the other's the gas."

"Very good." Jacob said sarcastically. "Someone gets a cookie and a gold star." There was a pause and then he yelled, "Ow! Watch it Cullen."

I looked up and saw Edward give a small smirk in my rear view mirror and I chuckled a little.

"Alright." Seth said, getting my attention. "I already put the key in the ignition. What you do now is put your foot on the brake, turn the key, put the car in reverse, and slowly take your foot off the brake and onto the gas."

I nodded and took in a breath. "Okay." I did exactly as I was told and I was really pleased. So far, so good.

"Wait!" Jacob yelled right before I put the car into drive. I slammed on the brakes and jerked forward a little.

"Easy on the brakes next time." Seth told me as he turned around to look at Jake. "What is it?" he asked.

"I've been driving longer than you." he said matter-of-factly. "Shouldn't I be the one telling her what to do?"

Seth groaned and then Edward decided to make a comment. "Well, I've been driving since long before you were born."

"Show off." Jacob muttered as Edward smiled smugly. "Whatever. You may continue Sethie."

The rest of the lesson wasn't half bad. I almost hit a stray dog that ran right out in front of me as we were going down the driveway. Then I almost hit the Cullens' mailbox. Other than that, everything was perfectly fine.

When we pulled back into the Cullens' driveway an hour and a half later, Alice, Renesmee, Rosalie, and Bella were all standing out on the porch. As soon as I climbed out of the car, I was attacked.

Alice grabbed my one of my arms and Nessie grabbed the other one. "Come on Erin." Alice said, her voice like wind chimes. "We have to get you dressed."

I groaned loudly. Rosalie actually looked sorry for me and Bella said, "I'm coming with you for emotional support and to keep Alice and Renesmee from going overboard."

"We'll see." Alice said simply as she dragged me across the yard and up the porch steps.

I took one last glance at Seth, Edward, and Jacob. Jacob was laughing, Edward just shrugged, and Seth mouthed "I love you."

I was about to tell him the same thing when I was whisked inside the house and up the stairs to my certain and unavoidable doom.

**Sorry this took so long guys. I got an extra week off for Christmas vacation because we got a huge snow storm. I hope I can put this next chapter up very soon. However, I have an AP US History project to work on. We'll just have to see. Anyway, I'll try to update soon.**


	34. Glamorous

"_She's got a smile like California. She's got a spirit like New Orleans. Eyes like the lights of New York City, yeah. Cool as a Carolina breeze. But underneath, she's got a heart like Memphis.'--from The Carter Twins 'Heart Like Memphis'_

Seth's POV

"Mom? Wait, what is that? No. No hairspray. Aw Ma!" I had gone home to get ready for the dance. It was going okay, until Mom attacked me with a can of hairspray in the bathroom.

"There, Seth." she said when she was satisfied with herself. "Now you look so handsome. Erin is going to love you."

"Hate to break it to you Mom, but she already does." I joked, looking in the mirror. Mom was right. I didn't look half bad.

She smiled softly. "I am trying so hard not to cry. You've grown up way too fast. It seems like just yesterday I was putting baby powder on your behind. You always got such awful diaper rash."

"Oh Mom." I groaned. "Not the diaper rash story." Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. Oh no. She didn't. "You haven't told Erin, have you?" I asked, afraid of her answer.

"Of course not." she said. "That would be embarrassing." She grinned mischievously and then pulled a camera out of her pocket.

I groaned loudly. "Suddenly, I'd much rather hear that diaper rash story." I told her, backing several paces away.

"Oh no." she said, turning the camera on. "You aren't getting out of this one. Stay still." She put the camera to her face. "Give me a big smile or I just might tell Erin the diaper rash story."

I sighed in defeat. I knew Mom was not joking. If I didn't cooperate then she really would tell Erin and probably show her pictures of me in the tub too. I smiled so I could get it over with.

"That's perfect." my mom said as she snapped the picture. She pulled it away from her face and took a look at it. "Oh. Very handsome."

"Can I go now?" I asked, blinking a couple times. Mom had the flash on. It was definitely past time to rescue Erin from Alice and Nessie.

Mom smiled and tossed the camera at me. I caught it with one hand. "I expect tons of pictures. Double copies."

I pocketed the camera. "Why double copies?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. Who could she possibly want to send them to? Leah?

"Well, Erin might want pictures too." she said, giving me a look of mock exasperation.

I chuckled, shaking my head. "See you later Mom." I said, walking out of the bathroom and down the hall.

"Don't stay out too late!" she shouted as I turned the knob on the front door.

"Okay!" I shouted before opening the door, walking outside, and closing it behind me.

It was a perfectly calm evening. The sky was clear for once and someone with a normal temperature wouldn't be freezing cold. I climbed into my car, started it up, and headed towards the Cullens'.

I wondered what Alice had done to Erin. Hopefully Bella was able to stop her from doing anything too drastic. One thing was certain though: Erin would not be wearing anything pink.

Soon, I pulled into the Cullens' driveway and was greeted by Emmett who was holding something white in his hand, and a grinning Nessie.

I climbed out of the car, very confused. This was my greeting party? I expected at least Jake or Alice, maybe even Bella and Edward. But Emmett and Nessie? Something was definitely up.

"Sorry Seth." Emmett said, holding out the thing in his hand. It was a white blindfold. "They're making me. Apparently I'm the only one that can hold you down."

I sighed and allowed him to tie the blindfold over my eyes. "I suppose 'they' are Alice and Nessie." I said.

Nessie giggled and took my hand. "Of course. We want to surprise you, Seth. Trust me. Erin looks great."

I walked forward, being led by Nessie. I didn't know if Emmett was still with us or not. I was actually too nervous about seeing Erin to really pay much attention to anything else.

"Okay, Seth. Be careful." Nessie told me. "We're going to go up the steps now. Watch it."

It was slow going up the porch steps. However, we finally made it up and I heard Nessie open the door. There was a burst of chatter as we walked inside. I could hear Emmett, Rosalie, Jacob, Bella, Edward, Carlisle, Nessie, Jasper, and Esme. The only one missing was Alice.

"Alice!" Emmett shouted as the door closed behind me. "He's here! Bring her on down now!"

"Is he wearing the blindfold?" I heard Alice say from the top of the stairs.

"Yes!" everyone shouted at the exact same time.

"Alright, alright!" she yelled, exasperated. "Take the blindfold off him on my count. One, two, three!"

The blindfold was removed from my eyes and I gasped in shock. Erin was standing at the top of the stairs, walking down slowly, Alice closely behind her. She looked amazing. Her dress was black and it came to her knees. There was a little lace at the bottom and it was sleeveless. I noticed she was wearing her purple converses. The outfit was so her. Her hair was also curlier than usual and she had on some makeup.

"Seth, you can close your mouth." Jacob chuckled from behind me.

Erin's cheeks turned red when she saw the look on my face and Alice smiled smugly. "Hey Seth." she said, smiling. "You look nice."

I waited for her to come to a stop in front of me before I said anything. Then, when she did, I realized I was speechless.

"Seth, are you going to say something?" she asked after a few minutes.

I shook my head rapidly. "Uh… Erin. You look… great. No, better. Uh… wow. I don't… know what to say. Just… wow."

She laughed. "Well thank you. Alice was actually very open minded. As soon as I told her I wasn't wearing heels she said my converses would be fine and then pulled out this dress."

"It's a style." Alice said, looking over her work. "She won't look like anyone else at the dance. She'll be unique."

"Well I love it." I said, causing Erin to blush just a tiny bit. I dug into my pocket and pulled out the camera. "Mom wants pictures."

"I'll take them." Carlisle offered so I tossed my camera to him and he caught it. "Let's go into the living room."

We all walked into the living room together and Esme began telling everyone where to stand. The first picture was just Erin. Then me and Erin; Erin, Alice, and Nessie; Bella and me; and so on.

When everyone had a chance to get in the pictures, Carlisle handed me the camera back and said, "You two better get going. It's almost eight."

We nodded and headed out the door while everyone waved us off and shouted their good byes.

I opened the door for Erin and she stepped out onto the porch. "Ooh." she teased as I closed the door. "What a gentleman."

I decided to play along. I bowed and said, "Your carriage awaits miss."

Erin laughed and grabbed my hand. "Why thank you sir." she laughed as we walked off the porch and towards the car.

I opened her door for her and she climbed in. Then I walked back over to my side as she closed her door and then I climbed in.

"So, you really think I look wow?" Erin asked as I started up the car and backed down the driveway.

I nodded. "Of course I do." How couldn't I? She was just plain amazing. No matter what she was dressed in.

The rest of the drive was mostly silent. I guess we were both really nervous about the dancing part. I had taken a couple of lessons with Edward, but I still wasn't very good.

Soon we arrived at the school. I parked the car, opened my door, shut it, walked over to Erin's side, and helped her out of the car.

"Here we go." she whispered, squeezing my hand.

We walked towards the gym, music blaring at top volume, and I could hear a lot of whispering and feel a lot of eyes watching us. It was like we were some celebrity couple. Well, at a small school like La Push High, I supposed we were.

I just tuned everyone out as we walked straight for the gym. None of them mattered anyway. Erin was the only important one. I wouldn't even be going if it wasn't for her.

When we got to the gym, I took in a huge breath as I pulled open the double doors, still holding Erin's hand.

_Here we go. _I thought to myself.

**Yeah, a little short. Sorry. Okay, next chapter is the actual dance guys. It'll be good. I promise. Updating as soon as I possibly can. It should be sometime later in the week. I don't think I'll be having too much homework. See you then.**


	35. I Hope You Dance

"_Well, I know there's a reason and I know there's a rhyme. We were meant to be together and that's why. We can roll with the punches, we can stroll hand in hand, and when I say it's forever, you understand."--from Keith Urban 'Only You Can Love Me This Way'_

Erin's POV

I don't know if I ever mentioned this before, but I'm not normally the type to get nervous. However, standing with Seth in front of a large crowd of people who were staring at us made me feel a little uneasy.

"You okay?" Seth asked me.

I took a deep breath and nodded. "Just not used to people staring at me. I was never exactly a popular person."

He sighed. "It happens when one of us imprints on a girl. People get jealous. Just ignore them. They don't matter."

I took another deep breath. He was right. I didn't even know any of these kids. I recognized a couple from my classes, but other than that I knew no one. It wasn't me they were staring at. It was Seth that had their undivided attention.

"Yo, Seth!" I saw Collin waving at us from the refreshment table. He had his arm around Scout.

Man, did she look pretty. Her long hair was in a simple ponytail and her dress was silver and it came a little past her knees.

"Come on." Seth said, pulling me into the gym. "I hear some friends calling for us."

I chuckled and we headed over to Collin and Scout. I was beginning to feel a lot better knowing that people were also staring at Scout. Some looked angry, others looked jealous, and a few looked like they were on the verge of tears.

"Erin!" Scout exclaimed, giving me a huge hug. "You look amazing. I love the dress." She looked down at my feet. "And the converses. So you."

I smiled. "You look great too. I love your dress."

"You aren't the only one." Collin grinned. He held out his arms and I gave him a hug too.

"So, where's Brady?" Seth asked, looking around. "Is he going to arrive fashionably late or something? I suppose he wants everyone to make a big fuss about his arrival."

Scout shook her head. "He's not coming. He never got a date and said something about not wanting to see you."

Collin sighed heavily. "I don't know what's wrong with him lately. He's a totally different person."

I felt horrible. It was all my fault. I mean, I knew there wasn't anything I could do about it. This was Seth and Brady's problem. They needed to work it out. But, still. It was all over me.

I looked around a little. I saw Ivy and Hunter dancing. They looked like they were having an incredible time. I wish I could be that loose in public. I don't like making a fool of myself. It didn't help matters that, since I was dating Seth, every eye in the room would be on me.

A slow song came on and Collin's face lit up. "I think I hear our song." he told Scout. "Would you like to dance?"

She smiled. "Of course. Why else are we here?" She took Collin's hand and they went onto the dance floor.

I sighed, folded my arms, and leaned against a wall. "So, you regretting asking me to come?" I asked Seth seriously.

He leaned up against the wall too and smiled. "Nope. Just talking to you is enough for me. Truth be told, I don't like dancing in public too much either."

I laughed. "I suppose we really are soul mates then."

"Was there ever really any doubt?" he asked, grabbing my hand.

I pretended to be thoughtful for a moment. Then I smiled and shook my head. "Nope. Guess not."

I turned my eyes back to the dance floor. A new song had came on. It wasn't what you would call a slow song, but it wasn't fast either. I recognized it immediately. It was "I Hope You Dance" by Lee Ann Womack. I loved this song and so did my mom.

Scout and Collin were dancing. Neither of them really could, but they were having a ball anyway. Collin would occasionally step on her foot and she'd wince, but she'd just laugh it off.

I looked to Seth. He seemed really bored. I don't know if he was or not. I knew I was. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to dance. Just once. Next song. Definitely.

_I hope you still feel small _

_When you stand by the ocean _

_Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens _

_Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance _

_And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance _

_Dance._

Those words were so true. I needed to stop worrying about other people. Scout and Collin were out there making fools of themselves with everyone watching and they didn't seem to notice. Mom had always told me to loosen up. She said if I didn't, I'd really miss out. Well, no more missing out for me. I was ready.

I turned to Seth. "Okay, you ready to dance?" I asked him.

He frowned. "You actually want to?" he asked in shock.

I nodded. "It's a dance. We should dance." I began to pull him onto the floor as "Fireflies" by Owl City began to play.

"Okay." he said when we successfully made it to Collin and Scout. "Just to warn you, I suck."

I smirked. "So do I."

We danced to the beat. It was the most invigorating thing I'd ever experienced in my life. I loved it. I didn't know what I was doing. Scout was swaying back and forth. Collin and Seth were doing something that looked oddly like the Chicken Dance.

We actually got a lot of people to join in with us. By the end of the song half the student body and all of the teachers were having a blast.

The next song was the Cupid Shuffle. This one I could do. It was so easy. You just listened to the instructions.

After a couple more fast songs came on, there was a slow song. Seth held out his hand. "Would you do me the honor of dancing with me?" he asked, smiling.

"Of course." I said, taking his hand.

We walked onto the dance floor and I felt a million eyes swivel in our direction. I didn't care anymore though. I was either too tired or too happy or both. I leaned on Seth and we swayed.

The song was unfamiliar, yet I was pretty sure it was by Keith Urban. It was really good and I had a feeling Seth and I had found a song.

"You tired?" Seth whispered in my ear. It was then that I noticed how insanely tall he was. He was a foot or more taller than me. You would have thought that would have occurred to me before.

I nodded slowly. "Just a bit. But I can hold on until this song is over." I told him quietly. I knew he heard me. After all, he had that super wolf hearing.

"You like this song that much?" he asked jokingly.

I considered stomping on his foot, but settled for smirking instead. "No. I like dancing with you. However, the song isn't half bad. I think it sort of explains us."

He listened to the song for a moment and then nodded. "You're right."

We danced in silence for a while until the song ended. Then we walked back over to the refreshment table to say good-bye to Scout and Collin.

"See you guys later." we said, waving at them as we headed out the door.

Seth drove me home and tried to come to the door with me. I convinced him to just go on home and that I'd call him later.

I walked into my house alone. Brian was waiting for me when I got there. He was furious.

"Where've you been?" he demanded, smacking me hard across the face. "Where'd you get that dress?"

I rubbed my cheek, tears stinging in the corners of my eyes. I would not give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry. "I was at a school dance. A friend of mine let me borrow the dress."

"I thought I told you not to accept handouts from people." he growled at me angrily. He grabbed me tightly by the arm.

I tried to jerk free and, due to my werewolf strength, managed to do so. "It's not a handout. It's a friend being nice."

He hit me again. "I don't care what it is!" he yelled. "Did I give you my permission to go to this dance?"

I nodded firmly. "Yeah. I told you about it. You said 'Fine. Whatever. Get out of here.'"

He stared at me, unable to come up with anything to say. "Get upstairs to your room." he growled at me. "I don't want to see you for the rest of the weekend."

_Like I wanted to see you anyway. _I thought angrily.

"Okay." I said emotionlessly. I then trudged up the stairs to my room.

I tossed myself onto my bed, still in the dress Alice gave me. Yes, I said gave. She made me keep it. She wouldn't listen to me when I explained that I couldn't.

I began sobbing in the solitude of my bedroom. I couldn't take it. I wanted to run to Seth. But I couldn't. He'd tell Charlie and then I'd be shipped off to Astoria to live with Mari. Or worse. I'd be shipped off somewhere else to some other relative and never see him again. I had to stay in this horrible house. For Seth's sake.

I cried myself to sleep, clutching my pillow, still in my beautiful dress with makeup running down my face.

**So, this was my special Valentine's Day chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. The end was not very Valentine's Day-ish, but I felt we needed more of Erin's horrible uncle. You will see why later. Anyway, I will update as soon as I can. Check out my other stories. Bye.**


	36. A Little Fun

"_If I lay here, if I just lay here, would you lie with me and just forget the world? Forget what we're told before we get too old. Show me a garden that's bursting into life. All that I am, all that I ever was, is here in your perfect eyes. They're all I can see."--from Snow Patrol 'Chasing Cars'_

Seth's POV

"Okay, okay." Nessie said after she calmed down from the major giggle attack she and Erin had just had. "My turn. What do you have for me Jake?"

"Okay." Jacob said slowly. "Let's see." He stared into space for a second and then snapped his fingers. "Got one! It's good."

Erin rolled her eyes. "Get on with it then."

He stuck his tongue out at her and then turned to Nessie. "Would you rather… jump out of an airplane… or kiss a porcupine?"

We all burst out laughing at Jacob's stupid question. "What kind of a question is that?" I asked, tears rolling down my face.

"Yeah, Jake." Erin said between gasps for breath. "I thought you said you had a good one."

Jacob shook his head. "Nessie, just answer the question."

She took a huge breath, trying to calm down again. "That's easy. Jump out of an airplane."

We had been playing stupid games like these all day. Erin had been hanging with Nessie since the crack of dawn. She was always there on Sundays while I was on patrol with Jake.

When we were finished, we headed over to Bella and Edward's little cottage near the Cullen house as usual. This time we found Nessie and Erin sitting on Nessie's bed, playing Concentration- you know, that hand game. Then we played Truth or Dare and a couple other games.

Now it was Would You Rather and Jacob was coming up with the worst questions ever. And I thought I was bad at these games. I was amazing compared to Jacob. He really stunk.

"Okay, okay." Jacob said. "I have a better question this time. For Seth." He turned to face me, acting all dramatic and stupid.

I rolled my eyes. "Alright. Let's hear it." I told him. "I'm dying to hear what incredibly stupid question you come up with this time."

Jacob rubbed his hands together. "Would you rather… sled down a snow covered hill on your butt in nothing but your underpants… or run through the school in nothing but your underpants."

This topped Jacob's usual level of stupidity by a great deal. "Definitely sledding. Wouldn't bother me in the least. Body temperature of 109 degrees, remember?"

"Of course." Jacob said. "I just wanted to see which you'd pick. Turns out you picked what I would think would be the most embarrassing."

Erin simply shrugged. "I don't think that's too embarrassing. I mean, you never said he had to do it in front of people."

Jacob looked confused. "Wait, didn't I say he had to do it in front of you?" he asked, dumbfounded.

I shook my head. "Nope Jacob, you did not. Lucky for me, huh?" Told you he was an idiot.

"Crap." he said. "Oh well. I give up. I am horrible at this game. Why'd we play it anyways?"

Nessie grinned mischievously. "Because you suggested it. You told us you were so good at it. It was one of your favorites. Ring a bell?"

Jacob shook his head. "Are you absolutely sure I said all of that? I sure don't remember it."

Erin whacked him in the face with a pillow and he fell off the bed with a loud _thud_, surprised.

"What was that for?" he asked, rubbing his head.

"For being an idiot. Maybe that'll teach you."

I chuckled as Edward materialized in Nessie's doorway. He looked at Jacob on the floor and smirked.

"Very good, Erin." he told her, chuckling. "I heard everything. He definitely deserved that one. Carry on." He turned around and headed back out the door, shaking his head.

"So, now what?" I asked, as Jacob picked himself off the floor.

"I'd suggest tying Erin up and shoving her in a closet," Jacob said, making me mad. "but, that would probably make you very mad and I really wouldn't want to have to hurt you."

I snorted. "Uh… sure Jake. Keep telling yourself that."

He scowled. "Okay, arm wrestling. You and me. We'll see who wins." He then cleared off Nessie's nightstand and sat it in the middle of the room.

I looked at Erin and smirked. "You got yourself a deal." I sat on the floor and propped my arm on the table. Jacob did the same thing and grabbed my hand.

"This is stupid guys." Nessie said. "You're going to break my table. Then you'll have to explain to Grandma Esme. You don't want her mad at you."

Erin sighed. "She's right. Seth, normally I'm all for you beating the crud out of Jake, but this is getting a little ridiculous."

"Oh, come on." I told her. "We'll try not to break anything."

They both shook their heads firmly. It was settled then. There would be no arm wrestling contest. We just couldn't argue with them.

"So… what are we going to do?" Jacob asked, placing Nessie's nightstand back where he found it.

The girls slowly turned towards each other, grinning. "Race!" they shouted in unison.

"Sounds cool to me." I said. "I can definitely beat Jacob at a race."

"You mean I can definitely beat you." Jacob retorted. "But, sure. A race sounds good to me too."

The girls looked at each other again and laughed loudly. Okay, Jake and I were definitely not getting this joke at all.

"What?" we asked at the same time.

"You… thought… we meant… you two?" Erin asked through gasps for air.

"We… meant… you race… us." Nessie said, clutching her side. "Ow." she complained. "It actually hurts to laugh." She must've been laughing harder than I thought because Nessie rarely ever felt physical pain.

"You guys?" Jacob asked, warily.

Erin nodded, calming down. "Uh huh. Me against Seth and you against Ness. It'll be fun." It didn't sound very fun to me.

"Unless you're chicken." Nessie teased.

Jacob and I sighed and gave in. We headed outside and didn't even bother to try to talk them out of it. It would just be completely pointless.

"Okay." I said. "Where do we run to?" I asked them.

Nessie looked around and then pointed into the distance. "That tree way over there."

"We're all going at the same time." Erin said, drawing a line in the dirt and then crouching down behind it.

I crouched next to her, Jacob next to me, and Nessie next to him. This was going to be really intense.

"Okay, on my count." Nessie began. "One… two…"

"Eat my dust." Erin whispered to me just as Nessie shouted, "Three!". I was left, confused at the starting line while everyone else had taken off.

Great. I ran, in last place, trying to catch up. Nessie was in the lead with Jacob close behind her. Erin was keeping a steady third. However, she wasn't trying to beat them. Just me. So, technically, she was in first.

I kicked on high speed and managed to come within inches of Erin about a foot away from the tree. Unfortunately, it was way too late.

Nessie already crossed the finish. Jacob tackled her to the ground and they rolled around for a minute before she managed to pin him down. They laughed for a second and then I saw her cheeks tinge pink. She picked herself up and dusted herself off, leaving me wondering.

"Hey, Seth!"

I looked towards the direction of the voice. Erin was leaning against the tree. It was then I noticed that I had stopped running.

"You decide to give up?" she asked, chuckling.

I shook my head and jogged over to her. Needless to say, I was a little embarrassed. I had actually stopped dead in the middle of a race.

"What's with that face?" she asked, smirking. "You upset that you lost to me?"

I shook my head. "Nah. Just worried about what Jake's gonna say." I looked over my shoulder at Jacob and Nessie. They were talking and laughing. The awkwardness I had just witnessed went away. I already knew what that had been about. Nessie was beginning to think what it would be like to be with Jake. It had to happen sooner or later. I turned back around to Erin.

She grinned happily. "Let's have another race. You know, best two out of three. It'd be fun."

I smirked at her. "Oh, you are so on."

We raced for the rest of the day. I lost every single time. To Erin and Nessie anyway. I beat Jake four times out of five. It was definitely a day well spent.

**Maybe not the best chapter ever, but I liked it. Next chapter is Nessie's birthday. I promise the update will be a lot sooner than this one was. See you later!**


	37. Nessie's Confession

_"Love just is whatever it may be. Love just is you and me. Nothing less and nothing more. I don't know what I love you for. Love just is."--from Hilary Duff 'Love Just Is'_

Erin's POV

The whole week of school following the dance was just plain awful. Girls I didn't even know were giving me death glares. Guys were hitting on me. I almost cried. (Something has to be really bad to make me cry.) However, I wasn't going to let anyone know they were getting to me. I didn't even let Seth and Scout know that something was wrong. Scout could probably guess though. I'm sure she went through the same thing when she got together with Collin.

Somehow I made it to the weekend in one piece. I was so very excited for Nessie's party. I spent every second of my free time working on her present. I knew she was going to love it.

I got ready for the party a couple of hours early. Brian wasn't home, but I knew he wasn't working. He could be home at anytime and I wanted to be gone before then.

I pulled on a pair of black skinny jeans, my purple converses, and purple and black 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' t-shirt. I grabbed Nessie's present, which was in a light blue gift bag, and headed down the stairs and out the front door.

I began running to the Cullen's. I figured if I took my bike Brian would notice and then I'd be in trouble. If he thought I was upstairs, he wouldn't bother me. That was the only good thing about living with him.

On the way, I ran by a couple of kids that I used to go to school with when I was at Forks High. They pretended they didn't even see me. I wasn't hurt though. I had the greatest friends in the world. What did I need the approval of a few snotty kids for anyway? I kept running, ignoring them right back.

I made it to the Cullen's house in record time. The porch was decorated with a bunch of light blue balloons and some streamers. Nessie was sitting on the porch swing with her head down, looking at her shoes. She was dressed in a pair of jeans and a plain black t-shirt. I guess Alice hadn't gotten to her yet.

"Hey, Ness!" I shouted as I walked up the porch steps. "Where is everyone?"

She looked up at me and gave a weak, forced smile. "Out." she told me and then went back to looking at her shoes. I knew then that something was up. This was not the Renesmee Cullen that I knew. I had to get to the bottom of her bad mood.

I plopped down on the swing next to her. "So, you're four years old today." I said, trying to get her to talk. "That's major, right? I remember when I was four years old." I chuckled, reminiscing. "My dad got me a bike with training wheels."

Nessie, slowly lifted her head to look at me. "Yeah? Must've been nice to be a normal four year old." Ooh. I suppose I shouldn't have said that.

I sighed. "Look, I know it's hard." I told her, trying to help.

"Oh, sure. You had a normal childhood. You got to go to school. You got to have friends." At least I knew what was wrong with her.

"Hey, you have friends. Great friends." I reminded her. "Besides, in case you haven't noticed, I'm more of a freak than you are." It was the truth. I was a bigger oddity than a half vampire.

"No you aren't." she said, bitterly. "Leah's exactly like you. And, as I said before, you grew up like a normal person."

"There are others like you." I told her even though I knew that she knew that. "Leah and I aren't that much alike. I'll never shift. She can. She had a huge growth spurt before she stopped aging. I'm five foot three forever. She can start aging anytime she wants."

"So can you." Nessie told me. "As soon as I get to the physical age of seventeen, I'm like this forever."

I shook my head. "I'm not sure I ever will start aging. I don't think I know how. All the wolves have to do is stop phasing. If I can't phase, how do I start aging?"

"Guess I never thought about that." She went back to looking at the ground. There had to be a way to make her feel better.

"Hey. What's so great about being normal anyway?" I asked her. She lifted up her head and looked at me questioningly, so I continued. "It's like my mom used to say: 'Being normal is overrated'. Being different is fun. You're special. There will never be anyone else like you."

She shrugged. "I guess. But…" She looked at the ground again. It looked like there was more to this.

"What?" I asked her. "You can tell me. I swear I won't tell anyone. I'm great at keeping secrets."

She looked up at me and sighed. "When did you know that you loved Seth?" she asked me, sounding dejected.

I let out a breath. "Well, I suppose it was the day I met him really." I still stood by the theory that we both imprinted on each other at the same time.

"But then why didn't you two get together right away?" she asked me, a little confused. I didn't blame her. It was a rather confusing story.

"Well, there were a few reasons." I explained. "I hadn't lost my parents too long ago. I was stuck in a town where no one liked me with an uncle who pretty much ignored me. Then all of a sudden this guy almost knocked me over and was asking me all kinds of weird questions." It had been a very strange day indeed.

"Anyway, I knew I felt something, but I wasn't sure what exactly. And the next day he tells me he's a mythical creature and I'm his soul mate. I was freaked out. I'd known him for not even a whole day."

She nodded, understandingly. "I guess that would be a little freaky. So, why did you finally decide to be with Seth?"

I sighed, thinking of how to put it. "I could see I was hurting him by only being his friend. I thought about some things and I realized that I loved him. I wanted to be with him. I always had."

"I wish it were that easy for me." she muttered. I didn't know if I was supposed to hear that or not.

"No one ever said relationships were easy." I told her, thinking about the awful week I'd had. "There's always some kind of obstacle to overcome."

"Yeah, but your obstacle isn't your dad or your age." She looked back at the ground for a second and then looked up at me. "I'm just so confused. I'm only supposed to be four but I look fourteen. And… my feelings are all out of whack."

So, that was what this was all about. "So, I look thirteen but I'm supposed to be sixteen. And Seth hasn't aged since he was fourteen but he's supposed to be seventeen and he looks like he's in his early twenties."

She sighed. "I'm not even sure if I love Jacob. I mean, I think about him a lot. But… the part of me that's four thinks of him as my big brother or my best friend."

I placed a hand on her shoulder. "You just have to separate your feelings, Ness. He's supposed to be all of those things. Seth's the best friend I've ever had. He's like the big brother I always wanted. But he's my boyfriend too. I love him."

She stared into space looking thoughtful. A small smile crept onto her lips. "I… think I am in love with him. I mean, it's weird for a fourteen year old to say that and actually mean it, but I do."

I smiled. "He'll be very happy to hear that. And, unlike most boys, he won't put any pressure on you. You won't have to do anything until you're ready. It'll sorta be like it is now."

She nodded. "He'll never hurt me." Then she looked sad again. "But Dad is going to be so mad."

"Dad's never like the person their daughter is dating at first." I informed her. "My dad would hate Seth. They just feel like their baby girls are being stolen from them. Eventually, they get over it and come to like him."

She shook her head in despair. "They're enemies. Vampires and werewolves are supposed to hate each other."

I chuckled. "Technically, Jake's not a real werewolf." I reminded her.

"Yeah, but then there's all that stuff that happened with my mom." Okay, I could see where that would make this a problem.

"Edward's just going to have to get over that." I said. "Jake's imprinted on you. There's nothing that can be done about it. He of all people should know that true love can't be stopped."

She sighed heavily. "But, how and when am I supposed to tell him. Jacob, I mean. Not Dad. I'll wait to tell him for a while."

"You're going to have to tell Edward eventually." I told her. "He won't be too mad. He knew it would happen sooner or later." I then sighed, thinking of how she should go about telling Jacob. "As for Jake, I don't know what you should do. You'll know when you need to tell him. As for how, that'll come naturally. That's how it was for me."

Nessie nodded. "I think I know just what to do." She gave me a big hug. "Thank you so much for the excellent advice." She let go of me. "I couldn't have said any of that stuff to anyone else."

"Why?" I asked. "Because your dad has less chances to read my mind than anyone else?" I teased her.

She giggled. "No. Because no one else would've understood like you do. None of them have been imprinted on. None of them really know what it's like."

That was true. "Yeah, we're pretty lucky. We don't have to keep searching for the perfect guy."

"Hey, you two!" I turned my head even though I already knew who was calling for us.

"Hey, Seth." I said as my perfect boyfriend walked up the porch steps. "You by yourself?"

He sat down next to me on the swing. I was surprised that there was enough room for all three of us. "Not anymore." he said, placing his arm around me and kissing my cheek.

I looked at Ness out of the corner of my eye and smiled at her. She returned the smile and looked much happier than she had when I first sat down.

"So, what have the two of you been up to today?" he asked us curiously.

"Nothing." we said in unison. We looked at each other and then burst into laughter. Seth looked at us, confused and then shrugged his shoulders. Well, he would understand soon enough. I had a feeling Nessie wasn't going to wait that long to tell Jacob her secret.

**Okay, I hope you all liked that. I worked hard on it. The next chapter is Nessie's party. It will be very interesting, I assure you. Well, see you all later. Updating soon. I hope.**


	38. Surprise, Edward!

"_I'll be your dream, I'll be your wish, I'll be your fantasy. I'll be your hope, I'll be your love, be everything that you need. I'll love you more with every breath. Truly, madly, deeply do."--from Savage Gardens 'Truly, Madly, Deeply'_

Seth's POV

Erin and I were sitting on a couch in the Cullen's living room. They had all come home and now Alice was upstairs getting Nessie dressed. It was actually quiet peaceful. Or, it was until Jake showed up.

"Sup guys." he said, jumping onto the couch right in between us. Or, he was in between us after we scooted over to make room for him anyway. Even with my werewolf strength, I still felt a pain in my knee from where he landed on it. "Where's Ness?" he asked.

Erin sighed. "She's upstairs. Alice is getting her dressed for the party." she told him, sounding exasperated.

"Alice! No!" we heard Nessie yell from upstairs. It didn't sound like it was going so great up there. Poor Ness. Who knew what Alice was doing to her up there?

"Being tortured, more like." Jacob said, looking up at the ceiling as if he had x-ray vision and could see through it.

"So, what'd you get her?" Erin asked him. I wondered what was up with her. When I came over, her and Nessie had been acting very strangely. Well, more so than usual.

"Nothing big." he said, shrugging. "Just a necklace I made." He looked to her, raising an eyebrow. "Why? What'd you get?"

Now, I had no idea what she got either, so I was just as curious as Jake. "Come one. Let's see it." I said. "Please." I added as an afterthought. I've learned that, with Erin, politeness never hurts.

She grinned and picked her bag off the floor beside the couch. She dug in a pulled a picture out of the frame. She shoved it under my nose and I was left absolutely breathless. It was amazing.

It was Renesmee, only not. She was crouching down by the waves on the shore of what looked like First Beach. Her head was turned to the side and she looked much older. Also, she had gigantic bird wings coming out of her back.

"Wow." Jacob whispered softly. "It looks amazing." That was one of the few compliments I'd ever heard him give Erin. "It's... spectacular. It's... beautiful."

"You've outdone yourself." I told her proudly. "It must have taken forever for you to make that. You must have worked so hard." I had wondered what she'd been doing on Sundays while I was on patrol.

My modest little artist blushed bright red. "Yeah, a bit." she mumbled quietly. She never blushed unless someone talked about her artwork or I said something extremely mushy.

Jacob stood up. "I think I'm going to help the others bring out the food and sit it on the table and stuff." He stretched and faked a yawn.

"Eat the food, more like." Erin said, making me laugh. "I better come to make sure you don't get into anything." She, too, stood up. Looking at me she asked, "You coming, Seth?"

I nodded and slowly stood up. I might as well follow them. Sitting alone on a couch was no fun at all. "Sure. More exciting than sitting around here by myself."

We headed into the kitchen where Esme loaded us down with food to carry to the dining room table. I forgot how much two werewolves, a sort of werewolf, and a half vampire can eat.

I had just sat the large, blue frosted cake down on the table when I heard Alice and Nessie come down the stairs. What happened next happened so fast that I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

As soon as Nessie made it into the dining room, Jacob came around the corner. She cried, "Jacob!" and ran at him, jumping into his arms. Then, she... kissed him. On the mouth. Hard.

Jacob looked surprised at first, but that soon faded as Nessie continued to kiss him. It looked so… natural for them. I wondered if that's how Erin and I looked.

From behind me I heard several gasps, an 'aww', a plate being broken in half, Esme yell, "Edward! That was one of my best plates!", and a growl that sounded like it came from a wild animal.

It was that noise that caused Jacob and poor, embarrassed Renesmee to break apart. They knew Edward was going to kill them. What possessed her to do that in front of her father and the rest of her family?

I turned around to look at everyone as Nessie and Jacob just stared at each other, having a silent conversation with their eyes.

Edward looked ready to kill. Bella had him by the arm, tightly. She looked a wee bit mad too, but nothing compared to her husband. Esme was still in shock over her plate. Carlisle seemed to be smirking. Alice, Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie just stared with blank expressions. And Erin, my Erin, was grinning like Christmas had come early. Suddenly, I had a feeling I knew why she and Ness had been acting so strangely earlier.

"Renesmee Carlie Cullen." Edward snarled. "Living room now." Then, without taking his eyes off his daughter, he growled at Jacob, "You too, mutt." With that, he stalked off to the living room followed by Jacob, Nessie, and Bella.

"I better go, too." Carlisle said as Edward yelled, "What was that?!" He hurried off to the living room.

Erin cast a worried look at Carlisle's retreating back and then slowly made to follow him into the midst of the argument in the other room.

I grabbed her by the arm. "Erin, you aren't involved in this." I told her.

"It's all my fault." she told me, refusing to keep out of it. "I told Nessie that if she loved Jake then she needed to tell him. I had no idea she would do something like that." She looked upset. If Erin was the type of person to cry, her green eyes would be swimming with tears.

I sighed, defeated. "Okay, but I'm going in there with you." Who knew what would happen if Edward got extremely angry? She could end up accidentally getting hurt.

She gave a quick nod and then we headed off into the living room. The scene before us was not a pretty one. Nessie looked hysterical and Edward looked livid. Jacob, Carlisle, and Bella just stood their, watching in shock.

"Dad, how can you be so unfair?!" Nessie shouted. "You know Jacob imprinted on me. I love him! It had to happen sooner or later!"

"You are four years old!" he shouted. "You're too young to be in love!" Edward yelled back at her.

"Oh, stupid technicalities!" she screamed. "In case you have noticed, I look fourteen!" She gestured to herself. "Jacob hasn't aged since he was sixteen! That's only two years difference. So what if he's technically nineteen! It's stupid!"

"You're still too young!" Edward told her, stubbornly. He wasn't going to be budging so easily. "He's too old for you."

"And what?" she asked incredulously. "Mom was seventeen and you were over a hundred when you got together!"

Bella reached out and gently touched Edward's shoulder. "Maybe she's right. We can let them have a chance. Jacob's not a bad guy."

Edward shook his head. "I have other reasons. They're two completely different species." He had a point there.

Tears were streaming down Nessie's face. "What about you and Mom? She was a human and you were a vampire. Hypocrite!" Touché.

Edward had nothing to say to this, so Carlisle interjected. "She's right, Edward. I could've told you what you're telling Nessie. But I didn't because I knew it would all work out. I could see that you truly loved her. She made you happier than I ever saw you."

"Edward?" Erin spoke up before he had time to reply to Carlisle. "Please don't punish Nessie. It was my idea. She really does love him. I know you can see that. So, put away whatever bad feelings you have towards Jacob. That's all in the past. You have to move on. For Nessie." I'd never seen a braver girl. She was amazing.

"Edward?" Bella asked, watching him closely, carefully.

"Dad?" Nessie asked edging closer to her father.

He looked to Jacob, his eyes locked on his. "I suppose I was… wrong." he said, remaining calm. "I shouldn't have been so… harsh. I will allow it, but I will be watching you closely."

Nessie slammed her father into a hug. "Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I knew you would understand!" She then let go and ran into Jacob's arms.

Just then, Esme peeked her head in. " Are you all finished talking in here? Is it time to start the party now?"

Edward looked at Ness and Jacob, frowning slightly. "Yes, I think we're finished here."

"Come on." I said, speaking up for the first time. "I'm starved."

"Me too." Erin and Jacob chimed in simultaneously.

The rest of the party went smoothly. Nessie loved her presents and everyone exclaimed at what Erin had made for her. Nessie sat next to Jacob the whole time, holding his hand. I never knew Jake could smile so much. He was actually... pleasant for a change.

After the party was over, Erin and I walked to her house in silence. However, before I left her, she turned to me and said, "I'm glad I helped Nessie today."

I nodded. "Yeah, I think she's much happier."

She stared at me for a second before saying, "Hey, in case I haven't said it enough, I love you, Seth." Then she kissed me briefly on the lips and walked off, leaving me very happy.

_I just might have the single greatest girl in the universe._

**Another chapter, completed. Sorry it took so long. Next chapter is when Erin's friend, Kendra, comes to visit. It should be pretty interesting. ;) Updating soon, hopefully.**


	39. True Friends

"_Life is one big party when you're still young, but who's gonna have your back when it's all done? It's all good when you're little, you have pure fun. Can't be a fool son. What about the long run?"--from Shaggy 'Angel'_

Erin's POV

I was so excited the day Kendra came in. The night before I hadn't gotten any sleep, but I was still bouncing off the walls. I was even cheerful when Brian was yelling at me to scrub the kitchen while he was at work. (I think I may have freaked him out.)

My plans for the day were very simple. Seth and I were going to head out at around noon and meet Kendra at the sign that says 'Welcome to Forks, Washington'. We were going to have her follow us to Seth's house for lunch. We had plans to go fishing with Billy and Jacob and Nessie had even decided to tag along. Then we'd do whatever until seven and then Kendra would go back to Seattle.

However, plans often change. Sometimes it's for the worse and sometimes it's for the better. My plans changed as soon as Seth called that morning.

"Hey, Seth." I said happily when I answered my cell phone. Brian had just left which put me in an even better mood. "What's up? You ready to head out?"

"Uh... yeah, Erin." he said, sounding a little uncomfortable. "We have a small change of plans though."

"Okay." I said, still really happy. I didn't mind a small change of plans. I was a 'go with the flow' kind of person. I'd always been that way. "What is it?"

I heard him heave a huge sigh. "Brady's coming to lunch and fishing has been canceled due to that. He hates fishing. Or, so he says. I seem to remember a certain seven year old who always begged my dad to take him whenever he went with Charlie." Seth sounded like he was in a bad mood.

"Okay. Well, why is Brady eating lunch with us?" I asked. If he was in a fight with Seth why would he want to be around him?

"Collin invited him." Seth said, sounding irritated. "He thinks we need to work this thing out. We've been friends for too long to get in a fight over something like this. Blah blah whatever. I only agreed 'cause I figure it'll be entertaining for everyone to watch me kick Brady's ass if he does anything." Well, he really was mad. I'd never heard him cuss.

"It'll be okay." I promised him. "It's your house. If Brady starts anything I'm sure Sue and Charlie will kick him out."

He heard him let out a long, angry breath. "Yeah. Well, I'm parked outside. Talk to you when you get out here."

I sighed. "See you in a bit." I hung up the phone and shook my head. Sometimes that boy worried me.

I took a last look at myself in the mirror. I was decked out in Hufflepuff gear. My shirt was black with the words 'Hufflepuff Pride' on the front in yellow letters. I was wearing a pair of dark blue skinny jeans with a bright yellow belt that had the Hufflepuff crest as the buckle. I had on a pair of black converses with bright yellow laces. I also had on yellow button earrings, a ton of black and yellow rubber bracelets, and a yellow headband that had a huge yellow rose attached. Kendra had gotten me most of the accessories for Christmas the year before my parents died. The clothing I bought myself.

Satisfied with myself I headed out the door and out of the house. Seth's car was parked in my driveway and I climbed right in. I was glad it was a nice day out. We probably wouldn't have very many more.

"Hey." I greeted him, leaning over and kissing his cheek. "You ready to go?"

In response he backed out of the driveway and headed up the road. I could tell he wasn't in the mood for talking so I sat back and buckled down for an uncomfortable drive.

Once we made it to the outskirts of Forks, we sat and waited for Kendra to pull up in her black Chevy Silverado. (Country girls love their trucks.)

We'd been sitting in silence for about half an hour when Kendra finally drove up. I could hear the Brad Paisley music blaring long before she came into view. She parked right next to us, turned down the music, and rolled down her window. Seth then did the same and I got a good look at my best friend.

She looked exactly the same as always. Her grey eyes sparkled when she smiled. She had short red hair that was in two braids. She wore a cowboy hat that had a blue paisley bandana tied around it. She had a tan with a few freckles on her face.

I was glad to see that she was the same person she'd always been. I didn't like it when people changed who they were. Luckily, Kendra would never do that. She'd always be true to her country bumpkin self.

"Hi." she said, cheerfully. "You must be Seth. I'm Kendra. Erin talks about you all the time."

"Not all the time." I said defensively. "Just most of it."

Seth laughed. I was glad to see he was in a better mood now. "Nice to meet you, Kendra. Erin's said some nice things about you, too."

"Duh." I said, laughing. "She is only my best friend in the whole wide world."

"Well, should we get going?" Kendra asked, chuckling. "Or are we just gonna sit here yackin' 'til sundown?"

Seth nodded. "Yeah. Just follow us. You shouldn't get lost. It's really not too far from here." He rolled the window back up and we pulled out.

"So, you like Kendra?" I asked Seth, glad that he was actually speaking. Seeing him upset made me upset. Just more of that imprinting magic.

He nodded. "She seems really cool." I knew he would like her. They were sort of alike. They were both kind, they loved people, and they loved having fun.

"Good." I turned around to make sure Kendra was still behind us. She was and when she saw me looking, she made a face at me. I laughed, glad to be able to hang with my best friend again.

It wasn't very long before we made it to Seth's house. We parked the car and climbed out as Kendra pulled in behind us. I was glad she hadn't gotten lost. I had a feeling she wouldn't, but you never know.

After she parked, she jumped out of her truck, slammed the door, and ran at me, pulling me into a huge Kendra-like hug.

"I missed you." she said, letting go of me after a minute. "Oh, cute outfit." she said, taking a good long look at me. "Very, very nice."

"Oh, you know you bought half the stuff." I laughed. "You don't look so bad yourself." She was wearing a classic Kendra outfit: a brown t-shirt with a green plaid button up shirt over it, light blue jeans with a few holes in them, and scuffed up, brown cowboy boots.

"Why, thank ya!" she said in her most hick accent. "I got somethin' for ya." She dug in her purse and pulled out a photo album which she handed to me.

"Oh my god!" I squealed, flipping through the album. "Is that Quil? Oh, he's so very cute!"

"I know." she gushed. "He's such a sweetheart. I wish you could come visit sometime."

"We better get inside." Seth warned. "You know how much the guys love to eat."

"Oh yeah." I said knowingly. "They'll kill over food. I've almost lost a few fingers before and I am not joking."

Kendra looked a little wary, but nodded. "Well, I'm starved. I say we go on in."

With that, we all headed in the house. Kendra and I continued chatting about Sassy and Quil all the way inside. When he got into the hallway, Seth shouted, "Anyone home?!" It was awfully quiet.

"It's just me!" Brady shouted from the living room. "Collin and Scout couldn't come and Sue and Charlie are rounding up Jake and Billy! They should be back in a few minutes."

Seth heaved an irritated sigh. "Come on." he grumbled, his bad mood coming back. He led the way into the living room. I could tell that he did not want to see Brady. I wasn't so sure I did either.

Brady was sitting on the couch, his back to us. He was watching some stupid reality TV show. He seemed to be ignoring us.

Seth snatched the remote off the coffee table and turned the TV off much to Brady's annoyance. He then stood firmly in front of the TV with his arms crossed. He did not look happy.

"Hey! What's the big idea? I was watching that!" he yelled, still not looking behind him at me and Kendra.

"And now you aren't." he said. "Now, be a good little boy and introduce yourself." He was trying to be mean without sounding that way.

Kendra looked a little confused at Seth's sudden change in mood and Brady's complaining, so I whispered, "Trust me. You don't want to know." That seemed to convince her.

Brady muttered something angrily under his breath and turned around to face us. When he saw us, his eyes went wide and he had a confused expression on his face. He slowly stood up and walked over to us. It was like he was in a trance.

"Uh... hi." he said to Kendra, nervously. "I'm... uh... I'm..."

"You're Brady Stone." I said. What would make Brady forget his own name? I mean, he'd seen tons of pretty girls. In fact, he dated a lot of pretty girls. Why was he acting so weird around Kendra?

"Uh, right. What she said. I'm uh... him. Brady." he finished. Suddenly, I understood. He'd imprinted on Kendra. I remembered seeing that same look on Seth's face when he met me.

"Nice to meet you." she said, shaking his hand. "I'm Kendra Taylor. Erin's best friend. She's mentioned you once or twice."

"Brady's one of Seth's best friends." I chimed in as Kendra dropped Brady's hand. "Right, Seth?"

He looked at me, confused for a moment. Then he looked at Brady and a look of realization came over his face. "Yeah. Been friends since I was six and he was five." Everything would be okay between the two of them now.

Brady smiled, glad that things were fixed. "That's right. Eleven years."

At that moment, the front door opened. "We're back!" Sue shouted from the hallway. "Are you teenagers ready to eat?!"

"Yeah!" we all hollered simultaneously.

It was nice that all of us friends were reunited. Brady and Seth were okay again and I got to see Kendra for the first time in two years. Best of all, Brady imprinted on my best friend. Billy always said the universe works in strange ways. I was beginning to realize how right he was.

**Now, who saw that coming? Okay, so it was sort of obvious. Sorry it took so long to update. I had a lot to do during Spring Break. No clue when I'll be updating again.**


	40. Soap Opera of a Life

"_So stand in the rain. Stand your ground. Stand up when it's all crashing down. Stand through the pain, you won't drown and one day what's lost can be found if you stand in the rain."--from Superchick 'Stand in the Rain'_

Seth's POV

"Do you really have to go now, Kendra?" Erin asked sadly. We were all gathered around Kendra's truck, saying our goodbyes.

"Yeah." Brady said, sounding more sad than Erin. "Do you really?"

She nodded sadly. "Yeah, I reckon I gotta head back on up to Seattle." She gave Erin a hug. "I'm gonna miss you. All of you, really." she said.

"We'll miss you, too." I said, also receiving a hug from Kendra. I was being one hundred percent truthful. I had really grown to like her in the short time I'd known her.

"Maybe I can come visit again soon." she said optimistically. "Maybe I can come down and stay a whole weekend or somethin'." She stared at Erin, expectantly.

"Er... yeah." Erin said. I thought I saw pain flash through her eyes. However, when I blinked, it was gone. "I'll see what I can do. It'd be fun to have you sleep over."

Brady suddenly got a look on his face telling me that he had an idea. "Or maybe I," He looked at Erin and me. "I mean, maybe we could come and visit you sometime."

Kendra smiled at Brady and I swear the kid looked like he was going to pee his pants. "I'd really enjoy that, Brady."

Brady blushed and then held his arms out wide so that Kendra could give him a big hug, too. When she did, he looked like he had died and gone to heaven.

She climbed up into her truck. "See ya'll later!" she hollered. "Keep in touch!"

"Got my number?" Brady asked her. He'd given it to her earlier and she had given him hers in return. I couldn't tell if she actually liked Brady the way he liked her, but it seemed that way.

She pulled the piece of paper out of her pocket. "Yup. Got it right here." she told him. "Hopefully I won't leave it somewhere and forget where I left it." she chuckled, slamming her door shut.

"Call when you get to Seattle, so we know you made it!" Erin shouted as the truck's engine roared to life.

Kendra gave a thumbs up, turned on her radio, and backed out of my driveway, her country music blaring.

Brady heaved a huge sigh as she drove off and I turned around. Time to get back at him. "What was that?" I asked him.

"Kellie Pickler, I think." Erin said, referring to the music that had been playing on her best friends radio.

"No, I meant Brady's sigh." I said, grinning. "He just sighed. It was almost like he was sorry to see Kendra leave."

Erin smirked, catching on. "Yeah, if I didn't know any better, I'd say he was in love with my best friend."

Brady scowled. "Oh, cut it out." he groaned. "You two know I imprinted on her. You can shut up."

Erin started laughing and said, "I thought you said imprinting wasn't your thing, Brady?" Then, she started laughing even harder.

"Well, now it is my thing." he said indignantly, walking off in the direction of my house. "You two coming or what?" he called to us over his shoulder.

I shook my head and, grabbing Erin's hand, the two of us followed Brady into my house where Mom, Charlie, Billy, and Jake were still sitting around the dining room table.

"So, you chase that girl off, Brady?" Billy asked, winking.

Mom rolled her eyes. "Billy, stop it. Leave Brady alone." she grinned softly. "He's imprinted. He's happy and you're ruining it."

"Brady needs some teasing." Jacob announced. "He's been dishing it out. Time for him to take a little."

"I agree with Jake." I said cheerfully. "High time he knows what it's like."

Erin nodded. "A bag of breath mints, I ask you."

"Speaking of which," I began. "I'm giving those back to you. You need them far more than I do."

Brady rolled his eyes. "Can't leave me alone when I don't have an imprint. When I finally get one, you have to go on about that too."

Jake chuckled. "That's life buddy boy. Get used to it."

"So, how are you and Nessie?" Mom asked, rounding on him. She knew how to change a subject.

Charlie gave a small cough and suddenly became very interested in something on the floor. It looked like he was with Edward on the whole Jacob and Nessie thing.

"Good." Jacob said, completely nonchalant. "Edward keeps watching us like a giant hawk, but aside from that, things are great."

"Yeah, you're welcome, by the way." Erin spoke up. She checked her watched and sighed. "Time for me to head home."

"Really?" I asked, sadly. I heard Brady chuckle, but I could've cared less.

She nodded and kissed me on the cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow though." She turned to look at everyone else. "See you all later. Thanks for the food, Sue."

Mom smiled softly at her. "Anytime." I looked into my mother's eyes and saw some worry in them. I didn't understand. Why would she be worried?

Erin wrapped her arms around me and I responded by wrapping my arms around her. "I love you." she whispered to me.

"I love you, too." I said. I thought I had heard sadness in her voice, but I had to be imagining it.

She let go of me, waved goodbye, and then turned and walked out of the room. I stared at the entrance to the kitchen until I heard the door slam shut.

I sighed. There was something going on. There was definitely something going on. But, what? What was it?

Erin's POV

Ooh, I was in for it. Brian was going to kill me. I was supposed to have made dinner for him hours ago.

I tiptoed up the driveway and quietly opened the door. He was sitting at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for me.

"There you are." he said, angrily. He stood up and swayed on the spot. Great. He was drunk. I was really in for it.

"I'm sorry." I told him. I had to sound like I wasn't scared of him even though I wanted to turn and run back to Seth. "I was at the library working on something for school."

He walked over to me, slowly. He stared at me, his eyes glazed over, for the longest time. Then, he raised his hand and slapped me so hard, my head whipped to the side.

That was when the beating began.

**A few people have been asking when Seth's going to find out about Brian being abusive. That's actually coming up pretty soon. Sorry it took me so long to update. I've been busy. Well, happy Wizarding Independence Day. For those of you who didn't know, it's been twelve years since Harry, the boy who lived, defeated Voldemort. Well, here's hoping the rest of your day is magical.**


	41. Thanksgiving Dinner Fiasco

"_She needs to feel that fire, the one that let's her know for sure she's everything I want and more. Her real desire is to know I'd walk alone out on a wire to make her feel that fire." --from Dierks Bentley 'Feel That Fire'_

Seth's POV

Late summer quickly turned into fall. September turned into October which turn into November. Thanksgiving was now upon us.

I'd been thinking about everything that had happened in the past couple of months. Erin and I hadn't had it so easy. People were still being jerks to her. Adam and Josh wouldn't leave me alone. But, we made it through all of that together. As soon as they realized we didn't care what they thought, they didn't bother us so much.

There were some good things too. Brady was more pleasant to be around. Although, he had been annoying Erin by making her tell him every single detail about Kendra's life.

But, as I said, Thanksgiving was upon us. Leah was supposed to be coming in and Mom had thought it would be a nice surprise for her if we invited Emily and Sam. Charlie and I didn't think it was such a good idea, but we didn't say anything. Mom was going to do what she wanted.

Erin would also be joining us for dinner since Brian hadn't celebrated any holiday at all since Erin's aunt, Jessi, had died. Mom had tried to get Erin to invite him, but she said he wouldn't come, so Mom dropped it.

"Seth!" Mom shouted at my closed bedroom door. It was seven o'clock and time to start getting things ready. "Erin's here! Hurry up! I still need your help setting the table! Leah just got off the plane and Charlie's gone to meet her!"

I already knew all of this, but I said, "Okay! I'm coming!" I took a last look at myself in the mirror and headed out of my bedroom and into the kitchen.

Erin had been talking to Mom, but when she heard me walking in, she turned around and ran at me.

"Oh, Seth." she said, hugging me close. "Happy Thanksgiving. Thank you so much for inviting me."

I breathed in her scent, hugging her back. "Well, of course I was going to invite you." I chuckled. "You're like family."

"That's right." Mom said as we pulled apart. "Now, are you two going to help me set this table or what?"

"We'll help." Erin said, grabbing the huge plate with our Thanksgiving turkey on it and headed over to the table.

I sighed and took the bowl of mashed potatoes off the top of the stove and followed Erin towards the table.

"Everything looks so good." Erin exclaimed. "Sue has really outdone herself this time. Ooh, I cannot wait to start eating."

I chuckled. "Yeah, she's been cooking since about eight o'clock this morning. She made Charlie and me clean the house."

She smiled at me. "Well, you two did a really nice job." she told me. "Now, we better go and get the rest of the food before your mom comes looking for us."

The two of us went back into the kitchen just as the front door opened. Sam and Emily walked in, beads of rain on their hair and clothes.

"Hey, Sue." Emily said, brightly. "Oh, Erin you look so pretty." she said, noticing Erin's outfit.

"Thanks." Erin said, looking down at her outfit. She was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans, a pair of black cowboy boots that Kendra had given her, and a dark green, long sleeved shirt.

"Food smells good." Sam said, stepping into the kitchen. "Need any help carrying it to the table, Sue?"

Emily laughed. "Oh, no. You aren't sneaking any of that food before dinner time. There won't be any left for the rest of us."

Mom joined in Emily's laughing. "That's all right, Sam. I have two helpers already. Erin, Seth, why don't you grab a couple more plates." Mom had begun washing the dishes she had been cooking with earlier.

"Two teenagers?" Sam asked. "They'll eat the food faster than I will. Are you sure they don't need some help?" He had a teasing gleam in his eyes.

"Sam, if you want to help so bad, why don't you help me dry these dishes." Mom suggested. "Emily, would you put them away for me?" she asked sweetly.

Soon, everyone had a job to do. Mom barked orders at all of us while she washed the dishes. Sam and Emily helped her dry them and put them away.

Erin and I placed all the food on the table and then set up all the plates and glasses and silverware. Erin decided it would be simpler for us to just leave the bottles of pop on the table so everyone could pour what they wanted.

Not too long after, we were finished with our chores and sat down at the table to talk and wait for Charlie and Leah to show up.

"Sam!" Emily yelled suddenly. "Put that roll down this instant!"

Sam had been trying to sneak a roll. He looked up at Emily, guiltily, and sat the roll back down on the plate in front of him. "Sorry." he muttered.

Mom simply laughed. "They shouldn't be much longer, Sam. You'll be eating in no time."

Sure enough, I heard Charlie's car pull up into the driveway. "See." Mom said, smiling. "They're back."

We all listened as Charlie and Leah walked up the porch steps, unlocked the door, and entered the house.

"We're here!" Charlie shouted into the house. "Did you all start eating without us?!"

Mom chuckled. "No! Well, one of us tried to, but he was thwarted."

Charlie appeared in the doorway, smiling. "Leah's taking off her shoes." he said as he sat down next to Mom, kissing her on the cheek. "I haven't told her about Sam and Emily being here yet."

"Everything smells good, Mom!" Leah called as she padded through the hallway. "Did you make the cranberry sauce I asked for?"

"Of course!" Mom shouted. "Why wouldn't I?"

Leah laughed as she made her way into the kitchen. However, when she saw who was sitting at the table, she stopped. "Oh. I didn't know you'd invited them." she said quietly, referring to Sam and Emily.

"Of course I did." Mom said. "They are family. It's Thanksgiving. Families are supposed to be together."

Leah pursed her lips. "Yeah? Well, looks like this Thanksgiving you'll be eating without me. I'm not that hungry anymore." With that, she stormed off into her room, slamming the door.

Mom sighed and stood up. "I'll go talk to her."

"No, Sue." Erin said, standing up too. "I'll talk to her. I think I know what to say to her. I think I can help."

Everyone stared at Erin for a few seconds. Finally, Mom sighed and said, "I suppose you can give it a shot. She won't listen to me. Goodness knows I've tried everything."

"No one will eat anything until you get back." Charlie assured her.

I grabbed Erin's arm before she walked off. "What are you going to say?" I whispered to her.

She smiled. "You'll see." Then, she quickly headed off in the direction of Leah's room and I watched until she turned a corner and I could no longer see her.

I hoped Erin could help. She was good with people. However, she'd never really talked to Leah before. Leah was kind of a difficult person to handle.

I crossed my fingers under the table as everyone began talking amongst themselves quietly.

_Please, let this go okay. _I thought to myself. _We don't need another family holiday disaster. _

**Okay, so this is it for this chapter. I decided to skip ahead a few months. I hope that's okay with all of you. I will update again soon. Until next time. Ugh. I sound like some stupid TV show.**


	42. One Major Headache

"_I'm not a princess. This ain't a fairy tale. I'm not the one you'll sweep off her feet, lead her up the stairwell. This ain't Hollywood, this is a small town. I was a dreamer before you went and let me down. Now it's too late for you and your white horse to come around."--from Taylor Swift 'White Horse'_

Erin's POV

I softly knocked on Leah's bedroom door. "Leah." I called. "It's me, Erin. Let me in. I wanna talk to you for a minute."

"The door's unlocked." Leah said, sounding depressed and rather... snotty. So, she was crying. That was never a good sign.

I braced myself, turning the knob and slowly pushing open the bedroom door. I was met with a not pretty sight. Leah was sitting in a corner of the room, her eyes red and puffy, her nose running, tissues in her hand.

"What?" she asked, looking up at me. "Mom send you in here to make me go eat dinner and be fake nice to Emily and Sam?"

I closed her door and walked over to her, sitting down in the floor. "No. I just wanted to come on here and talk to you myself. I totally get why you're mad."

Leah sighed. "Why? Because Sam was my boyfriend and I thought we were going to get married and then I find him with my cousin who he imprinted on even though I had no idea and was kept in the dark until I turned into a stupid wolf and then I was expected to suck it up and take it and have to take orders from him." She said all of that in one angry breath.

I thought for a moment. What was the best way to go about this? What would my mom do? Finally, I had an answer that I believed would help.

"Okay, you need to stop whining." I told her. "This bitter thing you've got going on is getting you nowhere. It's just making everyone mad at you. Sam didn't do anything wrong. It was uncontrollable. He didn't want to hurt you. You blew this all out of proportion."

For a second, I thought she was going to smack me. Instead, she started crying even more. Was I the only teenage girl in the world who could control her emotions? I mean, seriously.

"Uh... Leah?" I asked, patting her shoulder. "Uh... are you okay? Did I say something?"

She took in a deep gasping breath. "You're... right." she wailed.

There was no way this was actually happening. Leah was not crying uncontrollably and agreeing with me when I just insulted her. What kind of alternate reality had I dropped into?

"Oh, pull yourself together." I told her, getting annoyed. "You are not the type of person who sits around crying over something as stupid as a guy."

She took a few deep, shaky breaths. "I... know. I... just... kept it all... bottled up for... so long. I... just... I... just... I hate crying!"

I sighed. This was going to be a very long conversation. "Look, I think this all just has to do with the fact that you don't think you're going to imprint."

"I'd go beat Seth up for telling you that if I wasn't too busy crying my eyes out." she pouted, trying to keep tears from falling. "Ugh! I'm such a freak. I hate this!"

I decided it was time to tell her my little secret. "I'm actually a much bigger freak than you." I admitted.

She wiped the tears from her eyes. "How?" she asked. "Because Seth imprinted on you?" She managed to crack a smile and actually laugh a little.

I sighed heavily. "Uh no. Actually, turns out I'm a wolf, but since it's so distant, I'll never phase."

"How did you find that out?" she asked, frowning. Luckily, the tears had stopped falling, although her eyes were still red and puffy and she looked like crap.

"Seth noticed I was warm, thought I was sick, and took me to Carlisle." I explained. "He figured it out with a little help from Edward and Jacob."

Leah laughed, pulling some stuff out of her purse. I noticed she had a mirror and some makeup. "You are way more of a freak than I am." She then proceeded to fixing her face so she didn't look so awful.

Good. She was insulting people. Things were back to normal. "So, maybe you will imprint. I mean, it may take years and years and years, but you'll find someone one day."

Leah took in a deep breath. "I suppose." Then, she looked at me strangely. "So, why did you want to help me?"

"So, you'd stop sulking and let everyone enjoy Thanksgiving dinner in peace." I told her, standing up. You may think I was kidding, but I wasn't. I'd had just about enough of her attitude. "So, you ready to eat?"

She got on her feet too. "Yeah, but I'm not forgiving Sam and Emily so easily. I mean, I understand now. I probably understood a long time ago. But, I still don't like it or them."

I groaned, shaking my head. "Same old Leah." I muttered, walking out of her door and heading back to the table.

Everyone turned as I walked into the room with Leah trailing behind me. We both sat down and dinner slowly began. I noticed everyone sneaking glances at me and Leah, trying to figure out how I got her to come and eat.

Before I knew it, it was almost midnight. Truthfully, I didn't care if it was way past my curfew. Brian would probably be passed out on the couch. He'd be so drunk he wouldn't be waking up until this time the next day.

However, I felt it would be a good idea for Seth to go ahead and drive me home so no one would decide to call Brian so he wouldn't worry. (As if he'd care.)

"So, what'd you say to Leah to make her stop acting like a brat?" Seth asked as we turned onto my road.

I rolled my eyes. "Can't tell you that. Gotta keep to the Girl Code."

Seth started laughing. "Girl Code? Are you serious? Come on, spill. Tell me what you said to her."

I shook my head firmly. "I really can't tell you, Seth. It wouldn't be right if I did."

"Okay." he said, giving up. "But, thanks for talking to her. Whatever you did really helped my pain in the butt sister."

I smiled. "Still wanna trade her in for a nice quiet goldfish?" I asked him as he parked. I fondly remembered the first time I called him and the conversation we'd had.

"Of course." he said, chuckling. He kissed me on the cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

I nodded. "Of course you will." I opened my car door, waved him goodbye, slammed the door, and headed towards the house.

The last look I had of Seth was when I turned around after opening the door. He was grinning at me stupidly and waving goodbye. I shook my head and entered the house. I should've stayed outside.

**Ooh. Okay, so this wasn't the best chapter in the entire universe. It was probably the worst chapter in this story. However, it's better than any of the other crap I've been writing lately. I'm just so wiped from this stupid standardized test. It's also pretty short. Sorry about that. Again, stupid standardized test. Anyway, this is about to get good. You'll see.**


	43. Nightmares

"_A thousand times I've seen you standing. Gravity like lunar landing. You make me want to run 'til I find you. Shut the world away from here. Drift to you, you're all I hear as everything we know fades to black." --from Gavin Rossdale 'Love Remains the Same'_

Seth's POV

_I was walking to Erin's house. It was a gloriously sunny day. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. I was also as happy as I could possibly be. Everything was going to be perfect._

_My first clue that something was wrong was when I got to Erin's front door. I heard the pounding of feet, like someone was running. _

_I threw open the door to find Erin running from her uncle, tears streaming down her face. "Stop!" she shrieked. One look at her face told me that he'd hit her. She had huge purple bruises._

"_Not until I teach you a lesson!" her uncle yelled, coming around the corner. He grabbed her by her arm, dragged her to the floor, and started beating on her._

_I was mad as all get out. I charged at him and went straight through him. What the heck was going on? It was like I was a ghost._

"_Where are those friends of yours now, huh?" her uncle asked, still wailing on my perfect imprint._

_I couldn't do anything except watch in horror as she screamed and he continued to hit her with drunken force. Yes, I did say drunken force._

"_Seth!" Erin shrieked. She tried to jerk away from her uncle, but he had a tight hold on him._

"_I told you I was gonna teach you a lesson!" he hollered at her, ignoring what she had said. "Stop squirming."_

_Erin somehow managed to grab one of her uncle's arms and bit down hard. He let go of her and she started running up the stairs in a mad dash to get away from him._

_Her uncle chased her up the stairs and I followed him. Erin was trying to lock herself in the bathroom, but he grabbed the door before she could close it. He forced entry and shoved her across the room._

_When he pushed her, she slammed into the wall and fell down, crying even harder. I wished with all my heart that I could do something, anything._

I awoke with a start in a cold sweat. That dream had been so real. My Erin was hurt. No, not really. A horrid nightmare. That was all that it was. Nothing more.

But, still. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong with her. It was that imprint connection. Maybe she was just having a nightmare too. That had to be it.

"Calm down, Seth." I told myself. "Erin's fine. Just go back to sleep and when you wake up in the morning, you can call her."

I took a deep breath and laid back down. There was nothing to worry about. Absolutely nothing. It was just a nightmare. Sure, Erin's uncle wasn't the friendly type, but he wasn't going to abuse her.

I was so exhausted and wiped out that soon I fell back into a troubled and restless sleep. My last thing I saw before closing my eyes was Erin's bruised face full of fear, screaming my name.

**Short. I know. Some people are telling me that I need to find a place in this story where I can stop and the make a sequel. I'm actually thinking of doing that. The sequel might me a ton shorter than this story, but I really do think it would be a good idea. I'd love suggestions for a title. Okay, so that's all for now.**


	44. Runaway

"_This world keeps spinning faster into a new disaster so I run to you, I run to you, baby. When it all starts coming undone, baby, you're the only one I run to. I run to you." -from Lady Antebellum 'I Run To You'_

Erin's POV

I was running as fast as I could. I didn't care that it was dark and raining. I didn't care that it was nearly three in the morning. I didn't care that my back was killing me. I didn't even care that I wasn't wearing shoes. All I cared about was getting to Seth. He'd make the hurt stop. He'd make the pain end.

I never wanted him to find out about what Brian did to me, but I didn't care anymore. Seth would keep his mouth shut for me. I'd make him promise. I'd make him swear. He do it, for me.

I'd been keeping this secret for so long. Ever since I came to Forks Brian had been beating on me. Until I met Seth, I mostly stayed out of his way. However, lately, I'd been slacking off and not doing what he told me to do. He'd began punishing me more and more and today had been the final straw. I'd really screwed up.

_No time to think about that now. _I thought to myself, wiping tears away from my eyes. _Gotta get to Seth. Gotta get to Seth._

Just when I thought I was going to collapse from pain and exhaustion, Seth's house came into view. I got a second wind and ran straight for his bedroom window.

I peeked into his bedroom window. He was sleeping so peacefully. He was free from pain, free from suffering. Did I really want to ruin that for my own selfish reasons? But, I knew Seth would want me to. He had told me that if I ever needed him he'd be there. No matter what.

So, I gathered up a few rocks out of the mud and started throwing them at his window one at a time. I was trying my hardest not to wake up Charlie, Sue, or Leah or to break the window.

Soon, I saw Seth's form stumble out of bed, turn on a light, and come to the window. When he finally comprehended that the figure outside his window was me, his eyes widened and he threw open his window.

"Erin!" he shouted, his voice rising over the sound of the pouring rain. "What are you doing out here? What's wrong?"

"I need you!" I yelled, my voice a strangled cry.

That was enough for Seth. He grabbed me by the arms and hoisted me up through his window without any difficulty. Once he had me inside, he quickly closed the window before any more rain could get inside.

The second he turned around, I flung myself into him, crying. He immediately wrapped his arms around me. This just made me cry harder because of my skinned up back.

"Erin, you're soaking wet." he said, gently after a few minutes of almost complete silence. The only sound there had been was my sobbing and the pounding of rain on the roof.

"I... don't... care." I wailed into his chest. I was shaking so hard and hurting all over. I'm pretty sure that Seth was the only thing that was keeping me standing.

"I do." he whispered to me. He slowly walked me over to his bed and I managed to sit down. Seth started rummaging through his drawers until he found some sweatpants and a sweatshirt.

He tossed them to me and turned around, closing his eyes. "Go ahead and change, okay? I don't want you to catch cold."

"Okay." I muttered weakly. I had managed to stop crying, but I still felt like pure crap. Brian had really hurt me this time.

It was a struggle to put on dry clothes, but I managed all right. My hair was still soaked and sticking to my face, but I could live with that. "You can turn around now." I whispered to Seth.

He looked at my bruised face with concern. "What happened to you, Erin?" he asked, sitting down next to me.

I took a deep breath. I knew I couldn't hide the truth any longer. He needed to know everything. "Brian." I forced myself to say. "He... hurt me."

I'd never seen Seth look so angry. He looked about ready to kill. "How did he hurt you?" he asked, trying to remain calm. "Tell. Me. Everything."

So, I did. I explained how he had been drunk when I'd gotten home. I explained how he'd yelled at me and how I'd yelled back. I explained how he'd chased me around the house, hitting me and throwing things at me. I even explained how I'd tried to lock myself in the bathroom, but Brian had forced the door open before I could shut it. He backed me up into the bathtub and I fell, scraping my back on the faucet.

I pulled up my shirt, showing him. He lightly placed his fingertips on my scraped up back, causing me to take a quick, painful breath.

"That's it." Seth said, standing up. "I'm telling Charlie. He'll know what to do. He'll lock your uncle away where he can never hurt you again."

"No!" I yelled. "No, Seth. You can't. If Charlie finds out... I'll be taken away. I can't be taken away."

"You need to be taken away." he told me, fright in his eyes. "You're lucky he didn't do anything worse. I have to tell Charlie."

I grabbed his arm. "I'll have to go to Astoria and live with my cousin" I explained. "I... can't. I can't leave you. That's why I didn't tell you sooner. I was afraid you'd tell Charlie. I knew I could handle Brian for another year as long as I had you to go to."

"But Erin-"

"Seth," I began. "you have to swear to me that you won't tell. Anyone. Charlie, Sue, Billy, anyone. I'll survive another year. Just, please. Don't make me leave you." I pleaded with my eyes.

Seth sighed and sank back down on the bed. "Okay." he promised, taking my hands. "Okay, I won't tell anyone."

"You swear?" I asked, holding my breath.

He closed his eyes and nodded. "I swear." He opened his eyes and stared at me, sadly. "So, how long has this been going on?"

I knew I could trust him now. He swore he wouldn't say anything. He couldn't break a promise to me. "Since I moved here. It wasn't so bad in the beginning. I think it's been really bad lately because I've been out so much. I haven't done what he's told me to do. He's been getting really mad."

Seth stared at me for a moment. After a few minutes he said, "Well, I suppose you'll have to sleep here tonight."

"Okay." I agreed. "I'll be gone before Sue, Charlie, and Leah wake up. I just need to be here tonight. Brian'll never notice."

Seth grabbed a couple of extra pillows and a spare blanket out of his closet. I wanted to sleep on the floor, but he insisted I get the bed. I agreed, but only if he laid with me. He reluctantly agreed.

So, we crawled up into bed together. I was really lucky to have a guy like Seth who wouldn't try anything. I fell asleep, feeling safer and more loved than I had in a really long time. It felt good.

**Okay, so that's the end of this chapter. I have decided that I will be making this into a sequel fairly soon. I do have a favor to ask of you all. I need some suggestions for a title. I'm been trying to come up with something, but anything I come up with doesn't seem to work. So, that's all for now. **


	45. A Crazy Little Thing Called Love

"_I will never let you fall. I'll stand up with you forever. I'll be there for you through it all, even if saving you sends me to heaven."- from The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus 'Your Guardian Angel'_

Seth's POV

_Plink. Plink. Plink. _

_What's that noise? Do I even care? What time is it?_

I rolled over on my side and checked the clock. It was three-thirty in the freaking morning and I was dead tired. Why in the hell was I awake?

_Plink. Plink. Plink. _The noises came faster and harder. Whatever it was kept on hitting my window. _Plink. Plink. Plink._

I reached for my lamp and turned it on. I might as well go and investigate the noise. For all I knew, Jacob could've found a bad vampire and needed some help killing it. Wouldn't be the first time.

I walked over to the window, trying not to trip in my sleepy stupor. If it really was Jake at my window, I would kill him. I was much too tired to go chasing after a vampire in the pouring rain.

I rubbed my eyes and stared out the window. I could make out a face looking up at me. I stared for a few minutes before I realized who it was and jerked my window open.

"Erin!" I shouted over the rush of rain. "What are you doing out here? What's wrong?" Something was up. Why else would she be standing outside my window in the pouring rain at almost four in the morning?

"I need you!" she cried out.

I really didn't need telling twice. I grabbed her by the arms and hoisted her up into my bedroom, getting a little wet myself. I quickly shut the window once I had her inside and then turned around to face her.

She ran straight for me and I held out my arms for her. Once she was close, I wrapped them around her tightly. She cringed with pain and started crying a little. I'd never seen her so... vulnerable.

I let her cry for a few minutes before I said, "Erin, you're soaking wet." She needed some dry clothes.

"I... don't... care." she wailed, pressing her face into my chest. She was shaking really bad and wouldn't stop sobbing.

"I do." I whispered into her ear. I walked her over to my bed and helped her sit down. I began hunting up some clothes and quickly found a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt that I'd outgrown long ago.

I tossed her the clothes and turned around, closing my eyes. "Go ahead and change, okay? I don't want you to catch cold."

"Okay." she muttered weakly. I listened as she struggled to put on the dry clothes. Every time she moaned and groaned in pain, my heart hurt. She'd been badly hurt and I was going to find out how.

"You can turn around now." she mumbled weakly.

I turned back around and got a really good look at her face. She was bruised up pretty badly. I knew the bruises would heal in no time, but I still hated seeing her hurt. I wanted to know what happened. I wanted to make her feel better.

"What happened to you, Erin?" I asked, sitting down next to her as carefully as possible.

She took a deep breath. She looked like she was in so much pain as she struggled to tell me what happened. "Brian." she choked out. "He... hurt me."

That made me explode. That awful nightmare I had came rushing back to my brain. I was going to kill him for laying a finger on my Erin. He would pay dearly for what he did.

"How did he hurt you?" I asked, trying to remain calm for her sake. I didn't want her to get scared. She'd already been through enough. "Tell. Me. Everything."

And so she did. She bravely explained how she had come home to find her uncle drunk. He'd yelled at her and she'd yelled back. That's why he started hitting her and chasing her and throwing crap at her. She tried to hide in the bathroom, but he managed to get inside and back her up into the bathtub. She fell in, scraping her back up on the faucet.

She pulled up the back of her shirt and showed me. There were horrible, angry red lines marring her back. I reached out and placed my fingertips on her back lightly. She sucked in a pained breath and I pulled her shirt back down.

"That's it." I said, standing up. "I'm telling Charlie. He'll know what to do. He'll lock your uncle away where he can never hurt you again."

"No!" she yelled, not caring if anyone heard her. "No, Seth. You can't. If Charlie finds out... I'll be taken away. I can't be taken away."

"You need to be taken away." Why did she want to stay in that nightmarish place? "You're lucky he didn't do anything worse. I have to tell Charlie." I wanted to take care of him myself. However, I'd probably end up killing him. He deserved it, but then I'd be in trouble. Charlie could lock him up forever.

She grabbed my arm before I could turn to leave. "I'll have to go to Astoria and live with my cousin." she explained to me. "I... can't. I can't leave you. That's why I didn't tell you sooner. I was afraid you'd tell Charlie. I knew I could handle Brian for another year as long as I had you to go to."

So, I was the reason she stayed. I was the reason she put up with all of that crap. I couldn't let that happen. I had to protest. "But Erin-"

"Seth," she began, cutting me off. "you have to swear to me that you won't tell. Anyone. Charlie, Sue, Billy, anyone. I'll survive another year. Just, please. Don't make me leave you."

I sighed heavily. Tough decision. Hurt her by making her go or hurt her by letting her stay. I sank back down on the bed. "Okay." I promised, taking her hands. "Okay, I won't tell anyone."

"You swear?" she held her breath.

I knew I was probably going to end up hating myself. I closed my eyes and nodded. "I swear." I then opened my eyes and sadly stared at her. "So, how long has this been going on?"

"Since I moved here." she admitted. "It wasn't so bad in the beginning. I think it's been really bad lately because I've been out so much. I haven't done what he's told me to do. He's been getting really mad."

I stared at her for a few minutes. I couldn't let her go back. Not after she had just gotten away. "Well, I suppose you'll have to sleep here tonight."

"Okay." she agreed. "I'll be gone before Sue, Charlie, and Leah wake up. I just need to be here tonight. Brian'll never notice."

I grabbed a couple of extra pillows and a blanket out of the closet. Erin wanted to sleep on the floor, but I insisted to sleep on the bed. She agreed on the condition that I slept with her. I agreed, thinking that it might help the two of us fall asleep.

Erin was out in five minutes. I was awake for the longest time, simply stroking her hair and wondering if I made the right choice. Could I really live with myself knowing that by making this promise I was hurting her? Could I really live with myself if I broke this promise to her. It was a conundrum.

I don't remember falling asleep. However, I do remember waking up to find that it was ten o'clock and that Erin was gone. I wondered when she left. Must've been hours earlier.

I sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. What was I going to do? I was stuck between a rock and a hard place as my dad used to say. I knew what I should do. But was I brave enough to do it?

I got up and walked out of my room, heading for the kitchen. Mom and Charlie were already there, sitting at the table.

"Morning, Seth." Mom said brightly as I sat down. "Did you have a good night's sleep?"

I rubbed my face and shook my head. "Not really." I mumbled. I looked up at Charlie and sighed. "I need to tell you something."

"Yes?" he asked, looking concerned. "What is it, Seth?"

I let out a deep breath. "Erin made me promise not to tell, but this is eating me alive. I need someone to do something."

"What is it?" Mom asked, also looking concerned.

I took another deep breath. "Her uncle's abusing her." I said, getting the worst part over with. "She came over last night. He hurt her pretty bad. Her face was all bruised and her back was skinned up."

Mom put her hand to her mouth. "Oh my God." she muttered, looking sick. "Oh my God. I thought something was wrong but I never imagined that..."

Charlie stood up. "You did the right thing by telling me, Seth." he said, looking angry. "I'll be able to help her now."

"I just feel so awful." I admitted. "I'm breaking a promise."

"Seth, her life is in danger." Charlie told me. "This is one of those times when breaking a promise is okay."

"Are you going now, Charlie?" Mom asked, holding my hand like she used to when I was little and upset.

He nodded his head. "The sooner I get her out, the better."

I stood up quickly. "I'm coming with you." I told him. "She's my imprint. I wanna help her. I wanna help you get her out of there."

Charlie nodded and the two of us left the house together in silence. We were both steamed. I knew Charlie cared about Erin a lot too. I knew he'd kill to get her out of there. I never realized how lucky I was to have a police chief for a step-dad.

_I'm sorry, Erin. _I thought as we drove at what seemed like the speed of light. _I had to do it. For your own good._

**Okay, so that's the end of this chapter. You're probably wondering what the title of the sequel will be. It's, oddly enough, the only one I managed to come up with myself. The sequel will be called 'Wildfire'. Thanks to everyone who voted. **


	46. Broken Promises

"_Hold your head high. Don't ever let them define the light in your eyes. Love yourself, give them Hell. You can take on this world. You just stand and be strong and then fight like a girl."- from Bomshel 'Fight Like A Girl'_

Erin's POV

My morning had been exhausting. I'd woken up in Seth's arms at around five thirty and then had to climb out of his window and run home. Once home, I had to climb up the tree in front of my window and shimmy inside.

It was around six in the morning before I crawled into my bed and went back to sleep. I didn't dream. It was more of the entire nights events replaying in my head over and over again.

I was thrilled that Seth wasn't going to tell Charlie what had been going on with Brian. Jacob had told me once that to break a promise to an imprint would cause a wolf unbearable pain. So, I knew I would be safe.

Or, that was what I thought until I was woken up at eleven o'clock by someone banging on the front door. I instinctively jumped out of bed, ran to the window, and peered down at the world below.

Seth and Charlie were standing on the doorstep, having a chat with my dear uncle. I knew what this meant: Seth had told Charlie after all. He'd broken his promise to me. I was going to have to move.

I ran out of my room and headed down the stairs, not caring what I looked like. I had to stop this. I had to convince Charlie that Seth was lying. I couldn't leave Forks. I just couldn't.

"Charlie!" I yelled, skidding to a halt in front of the door. Seth stared at me, looking concerned.

"See?" Brian said, indicating me. "Does she look like I've hit her?" Apparently they had been discussing Brian and his abusiveness.

Charlie examined my face. "No, it doesn't. But, my step-son here says that she told him that you chased her into the bathroom and she tripped and scraped her back on the faucet in the bathtub." He turned to me. "Would you mind if I took a look, Erin?"

I sighed. I figured that my back was healed, so I saw no harm in letting Charlie look. I turned around and lifted up the back of my shirt.

"Well, it looks really old, but you can see that it's there." Charlie answered as I pulled my shirt back down.

"You can't prove I did that to her." Brian said, waving a finger in Charlie's face. "You've got nothing on me."

Charlie screwed up his face in disgust. "Excuse me, but have you been drinking?" he asked Brian.

Brian crossed his arms. "And so what if I have?" He was pretending to look tough, but I could tell he was scared stiff.

"What part of Forks Chief of Police did you not comprehend?" Seth asked. He looked like he was debating whether or not to rip Brian's face off.

Charlie seemed to notice Seth's apparent hostility too. He turned to him and placed a hand on his arm. "Calm down, okay Seth?" He then turned to Brian. "You know I can have you arrested for child endangerment?"

Brian scoffed. "You want her?" he asked. "Go ahead, take her."

Charlie sighed. "There's still some legal stuff to go over." He then turned to me. "Would you like to press charges or just get your cousin to ask for custody?"

I definitely didn't want to get into any legal crap. I figured it'd be simpler to just let Mari have custody. "I'll just go live with my cousin." I answered glumly. I wished there was a third option about me staying in Forks and everyone forgetting this whole mess.

"You'll have to come with me down to the station so we can go over some things." Charlie informed Brian.

"S'long as it gets her out of my hair." Brian said, walking outside. Well, at least someone was happy about this whole ordeal.

Charlie turned to me and Seth. "You two can stay here and pack up some of Erin's things to take over to Scout's place. I'll call Tom and Carol and let them know that they'll have a house guest until we can get this mess sorted out." He then headed out of the house with my uncle.

"Erin..." Seth began cautiously.

I ignored him, turning on my heels and heading up the stairs to my bedroom as fast as I could go. I couldn't speak to him. He'd broken a promise. He'd broken my trust.

I walked into my room and flung open my closet door. I frantically hunted up my backpack and started shoving clothes and Harry Potter things inside of it. I felt Seth place his hand on my shoulder, but I couldn't turn around. I thought I'd cry if I did.

"Why are you mad at me?" he asked. "Thanks to me, you're getting out of this place." He paused and sighed. "It's not like we'll never see each other again. When school's over, I can visit everyday. And I'll go to college close to you."

I still ignored him. It wasn't the fact that I thought I'd never see him again anymore. I realized there were a million ways that I could. No, now it was because he had broken a promise to me. I did not enjoy being lied to.

"Erin?" he asked me. "Please... just... tell me what's wrong." His voice was breaking my heart, so I gave in.

I turned around to face him. "You broke a promise to me, Seth." I answered. "That's what's wrong." I got up off the floor and walked over to my jewelry box. I opened the lid and then began tossing things into my backpack.

He sighed heavily. "Erin, I only did that to protect you." he explained to me. "I couldn't live with myself knowing that I was allowing you to stay here and letting your uncle keep on mistreating you."

I understood all of that. Still, a promise was a promise. He had broken that promise and he'd hurt me. I knew I wasn't going to stay mad at him forever. I knew that I couldn't. However, for the time being, I just wanted to be alone.

"Seth, get out of here." I told him, sternly.

"What?" he asked, sounding dumbfounded.

I whipped around to face him and almost lost my nerve. He looked so sad and upset. "Please, just leave." I said, my eyes darting to the floor. "I don't want you here right now."

"You don't mean that." he whispered. "You can't mean that."

"I do." I replied, trying to remain strong. I needed to think and I couldn't do that with him there. I wanted to be angry and I couldn't do that with him there.

He crossed over to my bedroom window, opened it up, and turned back to me. "Fine." he muttered. "If that's really what you want." Then, he crawled out of the window, jumped out of the tree, and left me alone.

I quickly shut the window and then flung myself on my bed and sobbed into my pillow. Because what else are you supposed to do when you drove the person who you love the most away in your time of need?

**Okay, that's the end of 'Solar Flare'. I shall be posting the first chapter of 'Wildfire' sometime next week. I hope you all love this story and read my sequel. Oh, and sorry this is really short. (And don't worry about Seth and Erin. Like she said, she can't stay mad at him for long.)**


	47. The Sequel

'**Wildfire' is now up! Go forth and check it out. :)**


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